Saturday 20 / April / 2024
Muscat: Institutional integrity, transparency and compliance of laws and regulations are key components in the working of the State Audit Institution (SAI).
The recent report from the SAI confirmed that more than 500 complaints were received from various quarters during the 2020-21 period and the state body have managed to resolve 91 percent of the complaints received, according to a senior official.
Mohammed bin Salem Al Abadi, Director-General of the General Directorate for the Control of Financial and Economic Units in SAI told Al Shabiba Radio: “The authority dealt with 505 complaints and reports during the year 2020-2021, and nearly 91 percent of the complaints were investigated and completed.”
Recommendations
Adding further, Al Abadi said: “During the year 2021, we reviewed complaints regarding lack of compliance, financial or administrative irregularities. We issued a total of 208 reports that were communicated to the concerned departments and agreement was reached to implement the recommendations of the authority.”
Al Abadi said the SAI pays great care and attention in investigating the complaints or reports received by the institution pertaining to violation of applicable laws, systems, regulations and decisions by the entities subject to audit; negligence in performing duties in connection with public works or misuse of public money.
The complaints can be made through various channels, including official website, smartphone application, e-mail, call centre or a visit to the headquarters or one of its branches.
He said: “SAI ensures confidentiality of the complainant unless in rare cases where the identity is to be revealed.”
Among the key SAI objectives are to protect the state public funds and the private funds managed or supervised by any of the entities subject to the audit of the Institution and provide an assurance of the efficacy of internal control and audit systems and the appropriateness of financial and administrative decisions and actions and their compliance to laws, regulations and other regulatory decisions.
SAI also ensures the enforcement of laws, regulations, systems and decisions in accordance with the jurisdiction of the Institution and prevents conflicts of interest and financial or administrative violations.
The supreme audit body is also mandated to detect deficiencies or weaknesses in the applicable financial or administrative laws, regulations and systems in force and recommend measures for rectification and make institutions abide by the principles of transparency in the financial and administrative dispositions.
