REPORT BY THE AUDITOR GENERAL ON THE PUBLIC ACCOUNTS 2021

Today, the Auditor General, Mr. Charles Deguara, presented to the Hon. Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dr Anglu Farrugia, the Annual Audit Report on the Public Accounts for 2021. It comprises 36 audit reports on the operations of several public sector entities. This publication also includes an analysis of the Financial Report 2021, as well as an overview of the Statements of Arrears of Revenue for the same year, as submitted to Treasury by the respective Ministry, Department and Entity.

The National Audit Office has judiciously analysed the level of compliance of various expenditure and revenue items with prevailing rules and regulations. The Report gives over 290 relevant recommendations which are meant to address the shortcomings identified during these reviews and thus promote good governance and best practice in Government’s operations.

Some of the key findings identified were the following:

• Inadequate audit trail leading to the respective transactions.

• Limited internal controls and lack of segregation of duties, resulting in potential fraud and errors.

• Non-adherence to Public Procurement Regulations.

• Insufficient effort to collect amounts owed to Government and to reconcile balances due between Government entities.

• Shortcomings in the payment of overtime and allowances due to lack of verification of attendance records and supporting documentation.

• Lack of ownership of project management, resulting in poor planning and execution of projects, thereby impacting negatively on Government’s interests.