An investigation is set to continue regarding the procurement of goods and services linked to the 52nd Asian Development Bank Annual General Meeting held in 2019, amid concerns of possible material mismanagement within the Ministry of Civil Services.
In Parliament, Esrom Immanuel, Chair of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, introduced a motion to discuss a review of the special investigation report regarding these procurement issues associated with the ADB meeting.
The Ministry of Civil Service was tasked with organizing the event, which welcomed over 3,000 participants from 76 countries. The previous government allocated $10 million to cover the event’s expenses; however, the actual costs reached $10.9 million, raising concerns about financial transparency and management.
The Assistant Minister for Finance noted that the Auditor General’s report, which prompted the investigation, identified several critical issues, including potential fraud, failings in adherence to financial regulations, and conflicts of interest related to vendor selections. Significant findings from the report indicated sufficient evidence of fraud in certain payments.
Immanuel pointed out that the investigation uncovered delays in processing major contracts for the event and highlighted inefficiencies in fund management. He also expressed concern that while the investigation and resulting improvements were necessary, the report’s delivery was significantly postponed. Although it was completed in December 2020, it wasn’t presented to Parliament until May 2023.
He underscored the importance of these investigations to drive essential reforms and called for ongoing oversight to ensure the prevention of future mismanagement of public funds. In a related decision, Speaker Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu invoked Standing Order 20, referring the matter to the public accounts sub-committee for further investigation, and they will now await the sub-committee’s report.