Parliament has approved a budget of MVR 133 million for the Auditor General’s Office for next year.

The budget was passed unanimously, with 46 MPs voting in favour.

The Finance Committee presented its report on the proposed budget today. Committee member and Funadhoo MP Ahmed Mamdhooh said the office had submitted a lower budget estimate for next year than its allocation for this year.

The office has estimated MVR 90.09 million for recurrent expenditure and equipment next year, compared with MVR 92.1 million this year. Its projected recurrent expenditure stands at MVR 85.8 million, a four percent decrease from this year’s approved budget.

During the debate, some MPs questioned the size of the allocation, noting that a substantial portion of the budget would go towards constructing a building for the office. They urged the Auditor General’s Office to use public funds responsibly.

People’s National Congress (PNC) parliamentary group leader and parliament supermajority Inguraidhoo MP leader Ibrahim Falaah, said the office played an important role in recovering public funds lost through waste.

However, he cautioned against politically motivated audits and called for accuracy and fairness in the office’s reports.

“The reports they issue should be accurate. Someone who has done nothing wrong should not be discredited, and an institution that has done something should be held responsible in a report of failing to do it,” MP Falaah said.

He also expressed concern over the reduction in the office’s budget, warning that continued cuts to staffing costs could undermine auditors’ ability to carry out their work effectively.

Hulhumale' South MDP MP Dr Ahmed Shamheed said the office had prioritized audits of local councils in recent years, despite the high cost of conducting them.

“I notice that the Auditor General’s Office is not focusing on the areas that should be prioritized. It is unable to conduct audits involving large sums of money,” Shamheed said.

He questioned whether the office was allocating sufficient resources to audits of major public expenditure, arguing that the large number of local councils could leave auditors with little else to do once council audits were completed.