PM warns against graft, financial irregularities

Asking the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) office to enhance its supervision, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina warned that the government will never tolerate corruption and financial irregularities, reports UNB.

"We want the people of the country to have a developed life. So, we'll never ever tolerate corruption and irregularities in financial matters. I want you to strengthen supervision," she said.

The Prime Minister was inaugurating the newly-constructed building of the International Supreme Audit Institute at Audit Bhaban in the city's Kakrail area on Wednesday.

She laid emphasis on modern auditing system for ensuring good governance and reducing corruption.

Sheikh Hasina mentioned that corruption in the country came down significantly during the two consecutive tenures of her government.

"The Anti-Corruption Commission has been working more independently. If they want they can grill ruling party ministers and MPs. We'll never put obstacle to it. Our ministers never stay behind...they go there due to their accountability," Hasina said. The Prime Minister said the audit division has to be built in a more time- befitting manner due to the huge expansion of economic activities in the country.

"Coming out from the traditional way, you have to conduct institution-based audit, performance audit, IT audit and environmental audit. Besides, we need audits in attaining SDGs, establishing the charter. That's why, I think, in conducting audits, it's essential to attain more skills," she said.

Hasina mentioned that very soon Audit Monitoring and Management System will be launched in the country and hoped that this would connect all ministries in the future and place their standard audit reports in parliament.

About IT auditing, she said IT auditing has already begun in the country and people from the audit office are receiving training both at home and abroad.

Hasina said security matters have to be taken into consideration whenever the digital system will be adopted. "Cybercrimes are the crimes that also affected us sometimes. We need to be alert about it. If we don't do that, accidents may occur anytime," she said.

Referring to the Bangladesh Bank incident, the PM said, "We introduced digital system there, but the firewall was not there the way it was supposed to exist till then. That's why the illegal money transfer occurred. We need to look into those matters properly."

She put emphasis on having an auditing process before government expenditure and in the middle of expenditure alongside doing so after the public expenditure. "I believe this how the wastage of money and irregularities could be reduced to a great extent."