(MENAFN- Jordan Times)
AMMAN - Audit Bureau President Radhi Hamadeen on Tuesday underlined the "strong and cooperative" relationship between the bureau and the Parliament in overseeing and protecting public funds.
Speaking at a press conference to announce the submission of the bureau's annual report to the Senate and the Lower House, as stipulated by Article 119 of the Constitution, Hamadeen said that the bureau works through ex-post audits rather than performance-based oversight, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
He highlighted the significant improvement in the bureau's internal control and legal departments, which has allowed the staff to focus more effectively on its auditing duties.
The 2023 Audit Bureau report included 417 audit findings, 4,883 violations and observations of regulations, of which 2,366 violations were addressed, resulting in a compliance rate of 48 per cent. It also documented 1,226 audit notes, of which 605 were corrected, he noted.
Hamadeen pointed out that 11 audit findings were referred to the court following evidence of misuse of public funds, while 21 findings were referred to the Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission (IACC) for further investigation into potential corruption.
Other 10 findings were referred to the Legislation and Opinion Bureau for resolution of disputes between the bureau and the audited entities, the bureau president said.
The report also included 40 decisions to recover misspent funds and 93 decisions to recover unlawfully paid funds, he added.
In terms of financial impact, Hamadeen confirmed that the bureau's efforts resulted in savings of JD29.327 million in 2023, thanks to audits of tax and fee transactions, recovery of misused funds, and participation in tendering and procurement committees.
He also highlighted that the bureau's complaints follow-up unit received 486 complaints in 2023, resulting in 60 audit findings, or 14 per cent of the total findings for the year, which reflects growing public confidence in the bureau's ability to handle complaints effectively and ensure transparency.
The bureau issued 31 reports on disbursements related to international loan agreements and 15 specialised technical studies analysing financial data, final accounts and budget estimates of various government entities, he noted.
The bureau also audited the accounts of 25 political parties under the government's party financing bylaw, identifying violations and recommending corrective measures in coordination with the Independent Election Commission.
The report also assessed the performance of government entities, including the effectiveness of computerised systems, public revenue collection mechanisms, governance frameworks, internal control units, and the financial and operational performance of state-owned enterprises, while ensuring their compliance with relevant legislation.
Also on Tuesday, Senate President Faisal Fayez and Lower House Speaker Ahmad Safadi received copies of the 2023 Audit Bureau report.
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