MUSCAT: The State’s Financial and Administrative Audit Institution (SAI) said that it
has recovered a total of RO 580 million funds during the 9th Five-Year Plan.
The Annual Community Brief 2020 report, briefed the community about the tasks taken by SAI during the fiscal year, and stated that SAI handled 207 cases in coordination with the Public Prosecution Department and that verdicts on some cases were issued, while the rest were being processed.
This was unveiled during the first issue of the State’s Financial and Administrative Audit Institution (SAI), termed Community Brief or community summary, which is undertaken in realisation of the 10th Five-Year Plan’s requirements to consolidate transparency and disclosure in a manner that serves the development process in the Sultanate of Oman.
The brief indicates that the total number of notices during the timeframe 2011-2020 stood at 33,096. As many as 1,861 audit missions were conducted, among them 1,210 pertained to financial and administrative audit, 624 performance audit and 27 pre-monitoring.
The brief indicated that a total of 4,544 complaints and reports were filed during the period 2011-2020, of which 94 per cent were settled. In 2020, the number of complaints and reports soared by 51 per cent, compared to 2019, according to the brief.
The complaints and reports constituted 2,767 administrative and financial irregularities that included, 1,063 reports of delayed transactions, 232 staff grievances, 116 reports of misuse of power, 122 instances of inadequate awarding of bids and 244 other reports.
SAI’s 2020 annual inspection plan checking the performance of the State’s Administrative Units covered various areas of audit. These included 96 missions giving rise to 124 reports on checking financial and administrative tasks of government departments, income-tax tiers, assessment of electronic systems, checks on projects, contracts and usufructs, as well as the study and analysis of the Sultanate of Oman’s trade balance, the state’s final account and impacts on export mineral ores.
INSPECTION PLAN
The 2020 annual inspection plan monitoring authorities and public institutions and companies covered the implementation of 24 missions, among them 21 reports on the assessment of Oman Water and Wastewater Services Company, as well checks on financial and administrative tasks of authorities and public establishments, cross-checking of operation and maintenance contracts of Oman Environmental Service Holding Company (Be’ah) and some financial and administrative tasks of the telecommunications sector.
SAI’s annual inspection plan for investment and commercial companies saw the execution of 24 missions that produced 25 reports that included a study on the performance of some direct government investments after their conversion into holding companies and checks on the tasks of the former Oman Investment Fund. The plan also covered checks on some financial, administrative and investment activities of the Civil Service Employees Pension Fund, the Public Authority for Social Insurance, some hotel establishments and some projects delegated to Oman Tourism Development Company (Omran), the assessment of performance of Oman Air and Oman Dry Dock.
MISSIONS
SAI’s annual inspection plan 2020 on the performance of oil and gas companies generated 12 missions resulting in 12 reports. The reports covered checks on some financial, administrative and operational tasks of concession areas, the assessment of oilfields, revision of the petroleum products’ procurement agreement and checking procedures for the appointment of consultants and secondment of non-Omani staff.
The brief indicated that the number of departments reporting to the SAI stood at 519, of them 292 basic units and 227 subdivisions. SAI’s missions produced 2,449 audit reports during the period 2011-2020.
The SAI assumed missions on controlling and combating corruptions by detecting financial and administrative violations and activating its audit role in most government units throughout the year. The SAI also opened branches in most governorates of the Sultanate of Oman and implemented the United Nations Convention Against Corruption. — ONA
