Report on the Work and Activities of the National Audit Office – 2018

Auditor General, Charles Deguara, presented the annual report on the Work and Activities of the National Audit Office (NAO) for the year ending 31 December 2018 to Speaker Anglu Farrugia. This report was compiled once again by an NAO editorial team headed by the Deputy Auditor General, Noel Camilleri.

In the introductory part of the report, the Auditor General provides an overview of the tasks, activities, developments, and achievements by NAO for 2018. He emphasised that in the future the NAO should invariably focus on being a service-oriented organisation whose work would lead to improvements across the public sector, ultimately in the best interest of our citizens. On his part, the Deputy Auditor General reflects on the determination of the Office to implement its five-year strategic plan, including the shifting of its focus externally, particularly with its key stakeholders, including the Public Accounts Committee, the media, auditees themselves and society at large.

During the year, various distinguished personalities paid official visits to the NAO. These included those made by the Maltese member within the European Court of Auditors (ECA) as well as that of the Hon Speaker of the House of Representatives. The Auditor General presented the Hon Speaker with a copy of the NAO Strategy for the coming five years – Improving Governance and Performance across the Public Sector. This document was produced following an extensive consultation process both internally as well as externally.

The report also makes reference to the excellent working relationship with the ECA, particularly the Maltese Member, Leo Brincat. As a result of this close collaboration, once again an NAO/ECA Joint Seminar was organised in Malta, this time with the theme ‘Public Audit in the Digital Age’ (6 November 2018).

The organisation in Malta of the Liaison Officers Meeting, held every year in preparation of the annual general meeting of the Presidents of EU Member State National Audit Institutions, which during 2018 was held in Croatia, marked another important event for the NAO. This meeting in Malta was chaired by Brian Vella, Assistant Auditor General, who is responsible for the NAO’s external relations.

This report also provides an overview of the work undertaken by each of the major Sections of the NAO that deal with financial and compliance audits, performance audits, special audits and investigations, IT audits as well as the administration of the Office.

The audited financial statements of the Office are presented in the final part of the report.