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CART BEFORE THE HORSE: The Auditor-General Nand should NEVER have affixed his SIGNATURE to the 2016 REPORT if it was ridden with ERRORS. Now he is being wheeled out to apologize to the FIJIAN people

3/9/2017

8 Comments

 

“I would like to sincerely apologise to the Fijian people for the errors in the 2016 report and I wish to assure the Fijian public that this will not happen again under my watch.”

Fijileaks: One of his critics is COUPIST and SODELPA leader Sitiveni Rabuka. Maybe it is time the new Auditor-General Ajay Nand released the report he and his team had prepared on the National Bank of Fiji which linked Rabuka and his thieving associates to the bank's destruction

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At press conference. From left: Deputy Auditor-General Sairusi Dukuno, Auditor-General Ajay Nand, Permanent Secretary for Economy Makereta Konrote and Chief Accountant for the Ministry of Economy Pankaj Singh in Suva on August 31, 2017

Why did the Auditor-General sign the 2016 REPORT? Now, by tendering his grovelling apology at a press conference, he is seen as
a blundering "FOOL" and a regime "STOOGE". He was appointed as the new sheriff to scrutinize State expenses, and was expected to keep his distance from the Government of the day!
Was Nand browbeaten to make a humiliating public apology for mistakes on the part of the Ministry of Finance under Khaiyum's portfolio?

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Glaring Errors In 2016 Auditor-General’s Report

Auditor-General Ajay Nand yesterday (31 August 2017) apologised for glaring errors in the 2016 report.

Unfortunately, for the 2016 report, certain media and others had made observations and arrived at conclusions before the proper scrutiny of the Public Accounts  Committee.

He said these observations and conclusions had been based on the misinformation in the report.

He said: “I would like to sincerely apologise to the Fijian people for the errors in the 2016 report and I wish to assure the Fijian public that this will not happen again under my watch.”

He said the errors arose because of the archaic audit practices within the Office of the Auditor-General.

Mr Nand said the report in question was tabled in Parliament on July 11, 2017. He said it had a number of errors which needed to be corrected and clarified.

Mr Nand said he intended to review the capacity and capability of the staff at the Office of the Auditor-General.

“Reforms are underway to modernise the audit process and methodology and do away with archaic practices that do not enable the true audit position to be correctly reflected,” he said.

He thanked the Permanent Secretary for Economy, Makereta Konrote, and chief accountant for highlighting the errors in the report.

He highlighted the key errors in the 2016 report:

The 2016 report incorrectly highlighted the non-submission of audited accounts for some entities which amounted to a total value of $245.07 million; in fact, a number of draft accounts were already submitted to the Auditor-General’s Office and a number of agency reports have already been audited. I will provide a list to the media on this.

The statement that purchases worth $2,593,374 of ‘family packs’ for Cyclone Winston victims were not properly procured.

However, Mr Nand said this procurement was done in accordance with the Procurement Regulations 2010, which permits the Ministry to make such purchases during times of emergency.

The 2016 report states that the approval from the Ministry of Economy was not obtained by the Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation in relation to budgeted purchases totalling $6,947,335.

Mr Nand said the Ministry of Economy, however, did not have the power to approve transactions for other Budget sector agencies; approval of transactions is granted by the relevant permanent secretary. The Ministry of Economy merely confirms the availability of funds in the budget for the agency.

The 2016 report raised an issue in relation to use  of funds to the tune of $4,600,000 for the sugarcane replanting programme when the  funds were earmarked for sugar rehabilitation post-Cyclone Winston.

Mr Nand said this was not an issue as the use of funds for the ‘Sugar Development Program’ (Head 35) for the purpose of cane replanting is within the ambit of the objective of the Sugar Development Program, which is to increase cane production.

The 2016 report raised the issue of missing share certificates with a value of $14,684,469 in relation to shares owned by the State.

Mr Nand said entities such as the International Finance Corporation and International Bank for Reconstruction and the Development did not issue share certificates, so such certificates could not be missing.

“This has been confirmed in writing by both organisations”. Moreover, third party confirmations were given by the State Owned Enterprises (SOE’s) advising the value of investment by Government.  He said this gave the assurance and confirmation of Government’s investment as provided by the directors of SOE’s. He also said given that there were no new equity investment during the period report, the office, in line with the modern audit practices could have relied on the share certificates previously provided by the Ministry of Public Enterprises.

He said the public needed to know that the whole of the Government report was unqualified.

He said it meant there were no significant with the financial statements and “this finding remains the same.”

He stated that during his term as the Auditor-General he would ensure more professional and qualified people were appointed and that they engage in an open merit and recruitment selection process.

Mr Nand further said the office was working to improve all external and internal communications to ensure that the reports prepared by their office correctly reflected the true audit position of the Government’s account.

He added that the Auditor-General’s Office intended to compile a supplementary report to the 2016 report to correct the errors in the report.

He said he would table the report via the Attorney-General and Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum at the next Parliament sitting so that when the public scrutiny took place it was not based on fundamental erroneous material. Source: The Fiji Sun, 1 September 2017


NFP: "We call on the Auditor General to stop any process of doing a supplementary report that is planned to be presented to Parliament...We believe the Auditor General was forced to hold a press conference to correct the so called anomalies in the Auditor General’s Reports. It is unprecedented and unethical for the Auditor-General to reveal so-called anomalies in the Reports of the Auditor-General through
a press conference."

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ANOMALIES IN THE AUDIT REPORT - And "independence" of OAG?
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We believe the Auditor General was forced to hold a press conference to correct the so called anomalies in the Auditor General’s Reports.

It is unprecedented and unethical for the Auditor-General to reveal so-called anomalies in the Reports of the Auditor-General through a press conference.

We firmly believe the Reports will be sanitised before being re-tabled in Parliament.

The fact that the Auditor- General revealed the supposed anomalies in a press conference in the presence of officials from the Ministry of Finance raises many questions. Why should they be present with the Auditor-General, which is an independent office?

When Reports of the Auditor General are compiled queries are directed to the Ministry of Economy or the relevant Budget Sector for comments and clarification. In the latest Audit General’s Reports those responsible for management of funds have either not commented or stated they will improve the procedures.

It is apparent that the Ministry did not clarify these matters or was in agreement with the Auditor General.

Furthermore, any anomalies can be clarified through scrutiny before the Public Accounts Committee. The Ministry appears before the Committee and provides evidence. This has been the long standing practice. This is the forum where clarifications and corrections are made before PAC submits its Report to Parliament after intense scrutiny.

We therefore find this totally unacceptable, unethical, in violation of audit practices and a hammer blow to transparency and accountability.

We call on the Auditor General to stop any process of doing a supplementary report that is planned to be presented to Parliament.

Professor Biman Prasad
NFP Leader


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FLP: "A few errors in the audit of government reports pointed out by the Auditor General yesterday does not mean that the entire 2016 report of the Auditor General stands tainted"

A question of accountability and transparency, says Labour Leader

A few errors in the audit of government reports pointed out by the Auditor General yesterday does not mean that the entire 2016 report of the Auditor General stands tainted, says Labour Leader Mahendra Chaudhry.

FLP understands that the errors were probably due to circumstances beyond the Auditor General’s control and that he may have been under some pressure to issue a statement.

“It is a question of accountability and transparency in the expenditure of public funds. The Fiji First government has a dismal record in this area as amply revealed through all Auditor Generals reports since 2009. The 2016 report was no exception,” Mr Chaudhry said.

He asked why the Accountability and Transparency Commission, provided for in the Constitution with powers to investigate financial irregularities, has not been appointed even some four years after the constitution was imposed?

“This is a serious lapse on government's part, pointing to a dereliction of duty. The same applies to the Code of Conduct and Freedom of Information legislations both of which, although constitutional requirements, remain unactioned,” Mr Chaudhry said.

“Opposition parties in parliament must do much more than what they have so far demonstrated in holding the Bainimarama government accountable. It can hardly be said that these lapses on the government's part are coincidental.

“It seems that there is a deliberate reluctance to comply with the requirements that impose financial accountability on the government. This must also be noted by donor governments which provide millions to Fiji as development assistance.

"The COP23 and climate change funds being actively solicited by the Bainimarama government may run the risk of being abused unless rigid compliance and accountability standards are insisted on by the donor governments and aid agencies,” Mr Chaudhry warned.

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http://www.fijileaks.com/home/the-auditor-generals-reports-reveal-that-not-much-has-changed-since-the-reports-began-whether-under-chaudhry-qarase-or-bainimarama-governments-one-wonders-if-millions-spent-compiling-them-is-wasteful

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AS expected, ASHNEEL SUDHAKAR, the PAC chairman and alleged mastermind behind the HACKING of Fijileaks has rushed to condemn the Fiji Times: “The Auditor-General’s retraction and apology has knocked the wind out of the sails of Fiji Times and this group of political parties who had jumped the gun and put the cart before the horse.”
http://fijisun.com.fj/2017/09/02/audit-errors-prove-what-he-said-about-critics-pac-chair/

From Fijileaks Archive:

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8 Comments
Ika
4/9/2017 11:21:52 am

The Bully Boy, FB's henchman, has all the arms of accountability, civil service and institutions of implementation of law under his control. We have now witnessed the last of an auditor general who took the constitution seriously and thought he was independent! He was publicly humiliated and hung in public for repentance and public execution. HAIL TO THE BULLY. Now the Henchman has got the auditor under his thumb, the vicious dictator who works only for himself and to enjoy power without any constraints or restraints, a modern day megalomaniac He should read the judgment of Chief Justice Marago of the Kenyan Supreme Court to learn about democracy, which this one man denies to all of the Fijians. Ask the candidates of the 2014 elections how they got zero votes in booths where their wives, husbands, daughters, sons and friends voted for them. In spite of irregularities identified by the opposition, it appears the opposition did not take it the irregularities further because they saw what had happened to the outcome of Court of Appeal judgment on the 2006 Coup. This dictator threw out the Constitution and appointed a new Juduciary. President Kenyatta could have done that as the Kenyan Supreme Court decision affected his power and him very personally but he chose to honour the decision of the Supreme Court and the Kenyan Constitution in the name of democracy. So now goodbye to our independent Auditor General and welcome to the continuance of fascism.

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Knox Maravu
4/9/2017 11:39:13 am

Having worked for OAG for over 10 years, it pains me to see what the new auditor general has turned the organizations into. Since he came, he has been promoting muslims like ricky ali, moshin ali and farisha. All of us know where the directive are coming from as a lot of qualified people were overlooked. The ruckus that the ag created is totally uncalled for. All reports are verified by managers, directors , deputy ag and then goes to ag who verifies it because of signing off. Before the final sign offs, the ministries and departments concerned get an opportunity to respond to issues and correct any issues identified. The media circus that the ag pulled this time is unprecedented. If errors are found after the release of reports, normal practice dictates for adjustments to be done in the next reporting period. The ag has shamed the intergrity of the office of auditor general by questioning the capability of its staff. For his information, there are some highly qualified and very experienced staffs than him. As the head of the OAG he holds responsibility for whatever happens. Time for him to resign if there were actually errors. I don't think there were. It's just a coverup and face saving exercise on the directive of attorney general.

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Another Accountant Sold Out!!
5/9/2017 04:29:35 am

Well said @ Knox Maravu. It beggars belief that Mr Nand, who pontificates being a CA member of the Fiji Institute of Accountants (FIA) and having extensive life time audit experience gained as a former audit officer at the OAG and then FNPF's director audit will have the temerity to make such fundamental blunders. First year audit students would do a better job.

Will the FIA discipline now discipline Mr Nand for his sheer incompetence? This saga demonstrates that the CA membership FIA dishes out is a worthless piece of paper and no wonder not recognised at all by similar overseas professional accounting bodies. Knowing that aunty Nur Bano sits on the Council of FIA, one
could easily rule out any disciplinary action - sub ke sub chor!!

Victor, when Mr Nand was appointed, someone immediately
wrote an eloquent remark about his fitness for the role; the writer's final comments were "ANOTHER ACCOUNTANT SOLD OUT".

How true that commentator was - PLEASE RE-RUN THAT COMMENTARY. It just highlights that people who comment thru your forum not only have credibility, but the vision as well!!


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Nuqa
4/9/2017 04:43:38 pm

Look at the suffering face of Makereta Konrote. She is PS Economy etc etc. She feels completely lost at sea with ASK and his antics and cunning footwork. She has been bullied everyday by the Big Bully Boy. She is not too happy about being a sycophant to bully boy. Hates Him with a sad and confused face. But she needs him to put bread on her table. How long will she last in the rampagung regime in charge? Help, Help! She cries! Ask Yogesh Karan how to suck and sell your soul. He lacks a spine. A complete jelly. Hates FB and gossips viciously about FB and ASK, but no balls to stand up to him. A pussy in front of FB and ASK. We cry for Fiji under such leadership.

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Refugee
4/9/2017 08:43:50 pm

The ear-pullth, Auditor General’s apology to the “Minister of Everything” sounds such:

“Of very reverend reputation, sir,
Of credit infinite, highly beloved,
Second to none that lives here in the city:
His word might bear my wealth at any time.”
[An apology rendered in Shakespeare’s appropriately named ‘Comedy of Errors’].

Nand’s neutrality, integrity and professional competence sticks out like ‘burnt cane’, all sooty and second grade. And the cyber-criminal, Hon. Hacker, PAC Chair berates media.

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Chiku
4/9/2017 10:12:43 pm

The two post above by Ika and Knox Maravu say all that needs to be said about the farce prevailing under the new Auditor - General's " leadership " of the OAG.
It's SHAMBOLIC!

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Tomasi
5/9/2017 02:20:57 am

What else are we waiting for? Since becoming the AG, Khaiyum has never ceased to mock at us the people of Fiji. With a straight face, he has lied and cheated us since the 2014 elections. Bai the fool continues to pretend he understands everything and is in control, but what a fraud. The political parties can only make verbal remarks through the media. They have been doing that since 2006. We have all seen that nothing will work to change these twin dictators. The only alternative is for us the people to tell him in the face in no uncertain way. May I suggest that all the parties get together, union leaders, traditional leaders, religious leaders, teachers, nurses, civil servants,etc. Let us march and tell Khai and Bhai to resign. get a caretaker Government in place. Get the election done. Let us make a fresh start in the right way in the right direction. Please let us take appropriate action to change things for the better.

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Ratu
6/9/2017 03:59:49 am

Yr sentiment Tomasi is understandable and shared by many, the problem will be the Fiji "deep state" - the Fiji military who will not allow any large scale demonstrations of public will that goes against the FFP Govt, the better solution is to defeat the GFP at the polls in 2018. The work had to start now. Rabuka is a public relations disaster. SODELPA policies are unclear among all voter categories. In short, SODEzlPA is choking in its own inefficiencies and lack lustre leader.

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