Latest news with #AuditorGeneral
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Audit finds $21M financial irregularities in Pakistan Cricket Board
ISLAMABAD (AP) — An audit report has found financial irregularities to the tune of more than rupees 6 billion ($21 million) and governance issues within the Pakistan Cricket Board dating back two years. The Auditor General of Pakistan's report for the 2023-24 financial year was published in The News and highlighted the non-recovery of outstanding sponsorship worth rupees 5.3 billion ($18.6 million) as the major discrepancy identified. Advertisement PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi is the third person in four years to lead the sport's national administration, following Ramiz Raja and Zaka Ashraf. He is also a government minister. The report also questioned the rupees 63.39 million ($220,000) the PCB spent on meals for police and law enforcement personnel assigned for the security of foreign teams during international matches in Pakistan. The auditors said providing security was the responsibility of governments, and disagreed with the PCB's explanation that visiting international teams were given extra safety guarantees that required heavy police deployment. The audit report also flagged the hiring of three junior regional coaches who didn't meet the eligibility criteria and the appointment of a media director outside the proper procedure. Advertisement Compensation paid to cover utility charges, fuel and accommodation for the PCB chairman between February and June of last year was also highlighted as unauthorized because Navqi received that as part of his government benefits. The auditors rejected the cricket board's response that the PCB chairman 'is authorized for utility expense as per bylaws' The PCB is yet to comment on the audit report. ___ AP cricket:
Associated Press
27 minutes ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Audit finds $21M financial irregularities in Pakistan Cricket Board
ISLAMABAD (AP) — An audit report has found financial irregularities to the tune of more than rupees 6 billion ($21 million) and governance issues within the Pakistan Cricket Board dating back two years. The Auditor General of Pakistan's report for the 2023-24 financial year was published in The News and highlighted the non-recovery of outstanding sponsorship worth rupees 5.3 billion ($18.6 million) as the major discrepancy identified. PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi is the third person in four years to lead the sport's national administration, following Ramiz Raja and Zaka Ashraf. He is also a government minister. The report also questioned the rupees 63.39 million ($220,000) the PCB spent on meals for police and law enforcement personnel assigned for the security of foreign teams during international matches in Pakistan. The auditors said providing security was the responsibility of governments, and disagreed with the PCB's explanation that visiting international teams were given extra safety guarantees that required heavy police deployment. The audit report also flagged the hiring of three junior regional coaches who didn't meet the eligibility criteria and the appointment of a media director outside the proper procedure. Compensation paid to cover utility charges, fuel and accommodation for the PCB chairman between February and June of last year was also highlighted as unauthorized because Navqi received that as part of his government benefits. The auditors rejected the cricket board's response that the PCB chairman 'is authorized for utility expense as per bylaws' The PCB is yet to comment on the audit report. ___ AP cricket:
Zawya
18 hours ago
- Business
- Zawya
South Africa: Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) Committee Mobilises Joint Oversight to Tackle Municipal Audit Failures
The Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), together with the Standing Committee on the Auditor-General, the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA), and other relevant parliamentary oversight committees, have committed to a coordinated approach to municipal oversight. This follows the alarming municipal audit outcomes that the Office of the Auditor-General (AG) reported to the committee earlier this year. During the committee meeting this morning, the Chairperson, Dr Zweli Mkhize, expressed deep concern at the lack of progress in municipal finances. The audit outcomes for local government for the 2023/24 financial year showed that only 16% of 257 municipalities achieved clean audits, while the rest either regressed or remained stagnant, with audit opinions ranging from qualified to disclaimers or non-submissions. When she presented the audit outcomes to the committee earlier this year, the AG noted that, despite having exercised all available remedial powers under the amended Public Audit Act, the audit outcomes remained largely unimproved. In response to this, Dr Mkhize said that the committee will adopt a revised and more collaborative oversight model with a focus on intergovernmental accountability. Based on this new model, the committee will, with relevant oversight committees, conduct joint visits to provinces and municipalities, beginning with the Free State on 24 and 25 July. Oversight visits to the North West and Eastern Cape will then follow. According to the Chairperson, the committee wants to avoid duplication, promote institutional coherence and ensure that every sphere of government accounts for its constitutional responsibilities through this collaboration. During these oversight visits, Members of Parliament will engage with Premiers, Speakers of the provincial legislatures, Members of Executive Councils (MECs), municipal mayors, Speakers of municipal councils, and accounting officers. Provincial legislatures will also be involved in the process. 'The purpose of this,' the Chairperson said, 'is to evaluate the systemic causes behind repeat audit failures and to demand clear responses on what corrective actions have been taken and what measures are in place to prevent further regression.' The focus is on accountability and ensuring that there are consequences to prevent repeat offenders, the Chairperson said, adding that this will help improve governance and ensure effective service delivery. He said the committees would pay particular attention to repeat disclaimer audit opinions, the poor quality of financial statements, overreliance on consultants without any tangible improvement, and persistent irregular expenditure. Unfunded budgets, non-functional internal audit units and poor contract management will also come under the spotlight. Dr Mkhize confirmed that the committee sought legal clarity about coordinating oversight across spheres of government. He said the committee solicited several legal opinions to ensure the planned oversight is rooted in the principles of cooperative governance with due regard for the autonomy of each sphere of government. The Chairperson said the committee is satisfied that the oversight plan now aligns with constitutional provisions. 'This new approach,' he said, 'reflects Parliament's commitment to proactively preventing dysfunction rather than reacting to failures. It is designed to hold not only municipalities accountable but also provincial governments, which are constitutionally obligated under Section 154 of the Constitution to support and monitor local government. Premiers and MECs will therefore be asked to account for how they have fulfilled their oversight roles, particularly in cases where municipalities have consistently underperformed.' The Chairperson said this joint oversight model is an institutional response to the Auditor-General's earlier call for decisive intervention and her letter to the Speaker of the National Assembly. 'The Office of the Auditor-General should not be placed in a position where it is compelled to perform administrative duties, such as correcting municipal submissions,' he said. 'The AG's function is to provide independent audit outcomes, not to compensate for governance failures.' Dr Mkhize reiterated the importance of this new collaborative oversight approach and said it is an important shift from fragmented accountability to a much-needed collective responsibility. 'We intend for this model to serve not only as a corrective measure but also as a blueprint for systemic reform and to ensure that audit reports reflect tangible improvements in governance and service delivery at the municipal level,' he said. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.
RNZ News
2 days ago
- RNZ News
Probe into police use of 'alternative action' for youth offenders
A youth justice residence in Palmerston North. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly The police will soon come under scrutiny for how they deal with child and youth offending. The Office of the Auditor-General is launching an audit into police's use of so-called "alternative action" plans, which look to divert young offenders from the formal justice system. They can include a letter of apology to the victim, financial restitution, community work, re-enrolling in school or training, a curfew or commitments to stop associating with negative influences. A statement on the office's website said the audit would focus on the systems already in place. "We want to understand whether the police make the most of the opportunity to work with young offenders to divert them from the formal justice system and prevent further offending. "We will look at how well the police ensure the quality of alternative action plans, measure their effectiveness, and look to continually improve them." Last year, the government set a target to reduce serious and persistent youth offending by 15 percent by 2029. The report is due in the first half of 2026. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
CBC
08-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
Retired city worker's credentials used in $2.5M Toronto electricity fraud attempt: report
Social Sharing The City of Toronto was nearly swindled out of $2.5 million as a result of an electricity fraud in 2019, in which a retired city employee's credentials were used to sign contracts with third-party energy retailers instead of with Toronto Hydro, the auditor general's office says. A report from the office released June 21 found that 14 city-owned properties were switched to two different third-party energy retailers without the city's knowledge. The city's Corporate Real Estate Management Division identified that the accounts had been switched in July 2019, after it found the "unusual" invoices during a routine account review, the report says. The contracts with the third-party retailers were valued at $4.2 million, which is $2.5 million higher than what the city would pay with Toronto Hydro, the report says. The report also says that $250,000 was paid to the two energy retailers between September 2019, when the contracts began, and January 2020, when they were cancelled. The money was later recovered by the city. "Given the serious nature of the allegations and the dollar values involved, the Auditor General's Office conducted an investigation to try to identify who entered the city into these contracts and whether any wrongdoing was committed by a city employee," said the auditor general's report. WATCH | Ontario has seen fraud reports skyrocket over the last decade: The Cost of Fraud in Ontario 2 years ago Duration 5:39 In part one of CBC Toronto's investigative series, The Cost of Fraud, reporter Angelina King explains Ontario's fraud problem. Over the last decade, the province has seen fraud reports skyrocket, with just a sliver of cases leading to criminal charges, and nearly half of those dropped each year. The auditor general's investigation began in 2020 and concluded in June 2025. Unclear if any city employees involved: report The investigation found that retired city employees' identifications were "fraudulently used to set up the contracts with the energy retailers," and that the alleged city employee did not sign the contracts. The auditor general said it was "unable to identify if a city employee was involved in this case." It also found that consulting firm owners seemed to have involvement in establishing the contracts with the retailers, but that could not be substantiated due to a lack of evidence. The report says the matter has been referred to Toronto police since one of the firm owners has been involved in other allegations in the past. In an email to CBC Toronto, Toronto police said they would not provide an interview and that their review is in progress. "The matter has been referred to us for review, and we're currently assessing whether it meets the threshold for a criminal investigation. That process is still underway," said Toronto police spokesperson Stephanie Sayer on Monday. Audit committee to look at investigation The auditor general is now asking the Toronto city council to request the city manager to forward the investigation report to other departments of the city to "encourage diligence in reviewing and approving invoices." The item will be considered by the audit committee on Friday, and if passed, it will be discussed during city council later this month. The chair of the city's audit committee, Coun. Stephen Holyday, said he hopes to see a change to prevent such situations in the future. "Any lessons that come out of this that can make for a stronger process means that we've got stronger security at the city for these types of issues in the future," Holyday said. He said he is "relieved" to know that there was no financial loss to the city. "It's a lot of money. Electricity is over $200 million a year, with many electrical accounts, and so ensuring that you've got people looking at this and the automated systems in place means that we have better protections for taxpayers at the end of the day," said Holyday. Jeff Filliter, a fraud investigator at Ontario-based investigation agency Haywood Hunt and former RCMP officer, said one way to avoid such problems is a "separation of duties." "One person is responsible for each factor in each step of the process along the way, and each of those steps is checked by the next person in line, and that would potentially have avoided all of this," Filliter said.
