The Foreign Ministry had not submitted its accounts for 2015, which provides specifics of how the state-allocated budget for the ministry had been used, by the date specified in financial regulations, the Auditor General’s (AG) Office said.
The date specified in the state’s financial regulations is 31st March, 2016. The AG’s Office had said it received accounts much later which revealed further discrepancies.
One such discrepancy is that, while officials of the Foreign Ministry are required to be issued a voucher permitting official expenses, the Maldivian mission to Geneva, Switzeland had spent a sum MVR 3,421,070 without such a voucher, making it impossible for the AG’s Office to know if this expense was officially issued.
The audit had also found that the missions in Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom had spent MVR 924,240 without an agreement stating what the expenses were for.
The report further said it had not produced an adequate registry of its assets; the date or price of purchase. This too is in violation of state financial regulations.
If the AG’s Office does not receive the accounts, detailing income and expenditure, to conduct a financial audit, the Office will go forth with a compliance-audit instead.
