SAI collects, recovers RO 97.8m

Muscat: The State Audit Institution (SAI) has issued a community brief highlighting results of its 2022 Annual Report.

The report shed light on results of the financial and administrative audit conducted on some government units, authorities, investments and companies subject to SAI audit following fulfillment of procedures with those entities. The Brief also highlighted the efforts exerted by SAI in the promotion of integrity in 2022.

The Community Brief is issued after SAI Chairman was honoured to submit the 2022 Annual Report of SAI to His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, as well as submitting copies of the same report to the Council of Ministers, the State Council and the Shura Council.

In this regard, Ahmed Salim al Rujaibi, SAI Deputy Chairman stated that this Brief reflects the Royal approach of His Majesty the Sultan in promoting the principles of transparency, integrity and accountability across all sectors and involving the community in strengthening the regulatory system in order to achieve national objectives.

Al Rujaibi added that the Brief also reflects the tasks implemented as per the 2022 annual audit plan prepared by SAI taking into account Oman Vision 2040 as well as the principles, foundations and standards approved by the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI), in addition to the audit manuals in accordance with the principle of materiality and risk analysis.

Further, he indicated that the 3rd edition of the Community Brief includes general statistics on figures and types of audit tasks of the 2022 annual audit plan. SAI carried out (181) audit tasks, from which (147) reports were issued that contained (1591) observations. The audit tasks involved some government units, authorities, investments and companies subject to the audit of the SAI.

Al Rujaibi added that the key audit topics related to government units focused on many vital areas, the most important of which were audit of tax assessment and collection of companies’ income tax, withholding tax and indirect taxes and performance audit of planning activities and tax policies, as well as administrative audit of activities of intellectual property, commercial establishments, standards and metrology, food security system and the Center for Food Safety and Quality. In addition, the key audit topics included administrative audit of tourism promotion efficiency and effectiveness, administrative audit of jobseekers’ training project, assessment of the quality and efficiency of the services provided by certain entities, audit of the phenomenon of forged educational certificates, follow-up and assessment of the government land investment mechanism among other topics.

As for authorities, investments and companies, the SAI Deputy Chairman, noted that the key audit topics focused on many areas, the most significant of which were audit of claims submitted by the contractor of the project of design and construction of cargo and aircraft maintenance buildings at Muscat and Salalah airports and assessment of the 9th and 10th strategic plans of the Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (Madayn). The audit topics also included performance audit of inspection of mining licences, audit of the main building project of the Civil Service Employees Pension Fund, audit of ticket sales revenues in Oman Air, assessment results of management and operation of gas plants and facilities, audit of some subsidiaries of Fisheries Development Oman, audit of claims management in some exploration and production companies and follow-up on the implementation of the Omanisation and succession of (100) technical jobs in the electricity sector.

He also confirmed in his statement that the Community Brief includes a statement of the positive effects of the SAI work results for the year 2022, which were represented in achieving direct added value from collecting and recovering RO 17.8 million to the State’s public treasury from various government units, authorities, investments and companies. Additionally, RO 80 million recovered in 2021 and contained in the 2022 Annual Report in light of SAI follow-up on the recovery of those amounts and receipt of supporting documents on their collection, he added.

Moreover, SAI dealt with 113 public fund cases in 2022 for some of which convictions were issued. These cases represented in bribery, forgery in official and customary instruments, embezzlement, misuse of position, information forgery in government data, abuse of position, conflict of interest, misuse of public fund and failure to perform job duties.

Al Rujaibi added that SAI reviewed 81 legislations as Institution reviews and comments on draft laws, regulations and systems developed by entities subject to its audit with respect to financial and accounting affairs, taxes and charges as per Article (5) of the State Audit Law issued by Royal Decree No 111/2011.

In the field of prompting community partnership, he affirmed that SAI devoted its professional care towards dealing with complaints and reports received from the community through the available communication channels concerning financial and administrative violations, negligence, failure to perform job duties and misuse of the public fund. The brief further includes some statistics related to those complaints and reports which amounted to 587 in 2022 with a completion rate of 84%.

SAI Deputy Chairman concluded his speech by emphasizing the considerable attention devoted by the Institution towards public information and awareness aspects which aim to reflect community partnership, promote values of integrity, establish a culture of protecting the public fund and preserve the state gains through the implementation of many programmes, activities and events including TV and radio programmes, press releases and seminars, in addition to digital and printed publications.