HDh Atoll Council claims report on Bangkok trip untrue

Haa Dhaalu (HDh) Atoll Council has responded to the audit report which states that the council spent over MVR 900,000 on a trip to Bangkok by many of its staff, claiming the report is untrue and was released by the Auditor General outside of his mandate.

The audit report released earlier this week states that the HDh Atoll Council had spent MVR 952,885 from its budget = on a training and experience trip to Bangkok for some members and staff of its council last October. The report indicates that a total of 20 individuals went on this trip: 13 council members, Secretary General, 6 members of the senior management.

The aim of the trip was to gather knowledge and experience from Thailand, and to seek investors for various projects in the atoll. Also included as an objective was seeking experience and knowledge on rural development and good governance public policy. However, the audit report claims that none of this had resulted in any benefits to the council.

In a statement issued in response to the report, the HDh Council responded to the Auditor General's directions to the Ministry of Finance to take appropriate actions against the council for having undertaken the trip without authorization from the ministry.

The council claimed that councils are not included amongst entities who must seek authorization from the Finance Ministry as per the circular earlier released, and raised questions against the Auditor General's competence and responsibility for not being aware of this.

They further said that the audit reports claims that the trip did not result in any benefits are baseless, and issued without consideration of the powers and responsibilities granted to council by law.

The council further added that the statement had been made without any deliberation with the twelve island council presidents who had participated in the trip.

They said that the audit report had gauged benefits only in light of economic benefits, and said that in the developing world, human resource development must also be considered.

The council said that while councils are operated in a decentralized system, reports released to strengthen the fiscal system must be formulated in a more responsible manner, which also grants the opportunity for those being reviewed to be answerable to the claims.

They condemned the report as containing false information.