Over MVR 4 million in unlawful expenses by three embassies: AG

Three embassies in the Maldives spent over MVR 4 million in violation of monetary regulations, revealed Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Audit Report.

According to the Compliance Audit Report issued by Auditor General Hassan Ziyath, the Maldives Embassy in Saudi Arabia, High Commission of Maldives in the United Kingdom and Permanent Mission of Maldives to Geneva had spent money unlawfully on several counts from 2012 to 2015.

The report revealed that the Maldives Mission in Geneva spent MVR 3.4 million 2015, and MVR 107,000 between 2012 and 2014 without vouchers.

Meanwhile, the Maldives Embassy in Saudi Arabia awarded MVR 185,000 without any agreement in 2o15, while the High Commission of Maldives in UK awarded a project MVR 738,000 in 2013 and 2014 .

Moreover, the report highlighted that the state spent MVR 197,000 as rent for a warehouse which stored some assets of the house leased to the ambassador in Geneva until the end of 2014.

The report emphasises that assets of some embassies and missions were not recorded and maintained according to regulations. The Auditor General also noted that the Foreign Ministry’s financial statements of 2015 were submitted late.