A further investigation is set to take place regarding the procurement of goods and services related to the 52nd Asian Development Bank (ADB) Annual General Meeting in 2019, amid concerns of material mismanagement within the Ministry of Civil Services.
In Parliament, Esrom Immanuel, Chair of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, proposed a motion to discuss the findings of a special investigation report pertaining to the procurement surrounding the ADB meeting. The Ministry of Civil Services was tasked with organizing the international event, which saw attendance from over 3,000 participants across 76 countries.
As the host nation, the previous government allocated $10 million for the event, but the final expenditure reached $10.9 million, raising inquiries about the transparency and management of these funds. The Assistant Minister for Finance remarked that the Auditor General’s report that initiated the investigation points to serious issues, including potential fraud, violations of financial regulations, and conflicts of interest regarding vendor selections.
He noted that significant findings from the report indicated that the Office of the Auditor General uncovered adequate evidence of fraud in certain payments. Immanuel highlighted that the investigation also brought to light delays in managing major event contracts and inefficiencies in financial management.
While acknowledging the importance of the investigation and necessary improvements, Immanuel criticized the significant delay in the report, which, despite being completed in December 2020, was not presented to Parliament until May 2023. He emphasized the critical role of the investigation in fostering reforms and called for ongoing supervision to prevent the mismanagement of public funds in the future.
In related news, Speaker Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu has invoked Standing Order 20 to assign the matter to a public accounts sub-committee for further inquiry, with anticipation for their report.