CAG warns against abolition of pre-audit system
Tuesday, 18 May 2010
FE Report
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of Bangladesh said that discipline in the public financial management in Bangladesh will be at stake if existing pre-audit system is abolished and separate accounts cadre is created.
The warning came from CAG Ahmed Ataul Hakeem recently at a discussion meeting held in the Audit Bhaban in observance of the Installation Day of the Audit Department organized by the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (OCAG)
Mr Hakeem informed the audience that in India and Pakistan Accounts and Audit is still not fully separated and pre?audit is very much in existence.
"But a certain quarter in Bangladesh is very active in pursuing the unwanted division of audit and accounts and abolition of pre?audit," Mr Hakeem said.
He said that in Bangladesh financial irregularities is much higher in those departments where pre?audit is absent, namely departments of Roads and Highways, Environment and Forest, Public Health Engineering, PWD etc. He said that the suggestions of the development partners are not always beneficial for a country like Bangladesh.
The CAG said that audit is an essential constituent in parliamentary democracy to hold the executive accountable to the people. He said that ensuring accountability of the executives, who spend public money, and of the auditors, who are responsible for external oversight function, is the pre?condition for establishment of a democratic society.
He stressed upon the evaluation of the audit department's own activities and urged all concerned to produce quality audit report before the Parliament.
Past and present officials of the audit department attended the programme where the former CAGs recalled good memories of their past professional career.
They said that to ensure transparency and accountability pre?audit, in addition to post audit, must be in existence. Among the former C&AGs Mr. K. M. Hussain, Mr. M. Hafizuddin Khan, Mr. Syed Yousuf Hossain and Mr. Asif Ali were present.
The meeting was also addressed by the members of the Audit and Accounts Cadre including present and former secretaries and other senior officials of the department.
They said that International Organization of Supreme Audit Institution (INTOSAI) in its Lima declaration opined that pre?audit is a part of audit.
In his welcome address the Deputy C&AG (Senior) Md. Amir Khasru said that the OCAG started its journey as a constitutional body on May 11, 1973. He informed that now the OCAG is focusing on performance audit, environmental audit, social audit and IT audit in addition to the traditional financial, compliance and regularity audit.
The discussion meeting was also addressed by office-bearers of the BCS (Audit and Accounts) Association, Audit and Accounts Officers' Association and Auditors' Association.
They criticized the move for separation of accounts from audit and removal of pre-audit by some quarters and asked them to refrain from this undesirable act against the department.
The installation day activities began with hoisting of the CAG flag in the premises of the OCAG and ended with the inauguration of the CAG Website by the Comptroller and Auditor General.
The discussants welcomed the initiative of the OCAG to observe May 11 and urged the CAG to declare May 11 as "Audit Day" and ensure observance of the day every year.
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of Bangladesh said that discipline in the public financial management in Bangladesh will be at stake if existing pre-audit system is abolished and separate accounts cadre is created.
The warning came from CAG Ahmed Ataul Hakeem recently at a discussion meeting held in the Audit Bhaban in observance of the Installation Day of the Audit Department organized by the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (OCAG)
Mr Hakeem informed the audience that in India and Pakistan Accounts and Audit is still not fully separated and pre?audit is very much in existence.
"But a certain quarter in Bangladesh is very active in pursuing the unwanted division of audit and accounts and abolition of pre?audit," Mr Hakeem said.
He said that in Bangladesh financial irregularities is much higher in those departments where pre?audit is absent, namely departments of Roads and Highways, Environment and Forest, Public Health Engineering, PWD etc. He said that the suggestions of the development partners are not always beneficial for a country like Bangladesh.
The CAG said that audit is an essential constituent in parliamentary democracy to hold the executive accountable to the people. He said that ensuring accountability of the executives, who spend public money, and of the auditors, who are responsible for external oversight function, is the pre?condition for establishment of a democratic society.
He stressed upon the evaluation of the audit department's own activities and urged all concerned to produce quality audit report before the Parliament.
Past and present officials of the audit department attended the programme where the former CAGs recalled good memories of their past professional career.
They said that to ensure transparency and accountability pre?audit, in addition to post audit, must be in existence. Among the former C&AGs Mr. K. M. Hussain, Mr. M. Hafizuddin Khan, Mr. Syed Yousuf Hossain and Mr. Asif Ali were present.
The meeting was also addressed by the members of the Audit and Accounts Cadre including present and former secretaries and other senior officials of the department.
They said that International Organization of Supreme Audit Institution (INTOSAI) in its Lima declaration opined that pre?audit is a part of audit.
In his welcome address the Deputy C&AG (Senior) Md. Amir Khasru said that the OCAG started its journey as a constitutional body on May 11, 1973. He informed that now the OCAG is focusing on performance audit, environmental audit, social audit and IT audit in addition to the traditional financial, compliance and regularity audit.
The discussion meeting was also addressed by office-bearers of the BCS (Audit and Accounts) Association, Audit and Accounts Officers' Association and Auditors' Association.
They criticized the move for separation of accounts from audit and removal of pre-audit by some quarters and asked them to refrain from this undesirable act against the department.
The installation day activities began with hoisting of the CAG flag in the premises of the OCAG and ended with the inauguration of the CAG Website by the Comptroller and Auditor General.
The discussants welcomed the initiative of the OCAG to observe May 11 and urged the CAG to declare May 11 as "Audit Day" and ensure observance of the day every year.