Ministries delayed report on losses of public money, assets - AG Report

The Auditor-General's (A-G's) Report for 2019 has named two ministries, the Education Ministry (MOE) and the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry, for delaying submission of the final reports on losses of public money and movable assets.

The audit report on Compliance With Procedure wrote that MOE's Final Report on the loss of movable assets amounting to RM428,382 between 2007 and 2019 was backdated by 4,087 days.

MOE offices in all 14 states and Federal Territories were involved in this problem, with the longest period involving Melaka, which took up to 4,087 days, Kuala Lumpur (up to 4,015 days) and Johor (up to 2,529 days).

The audit also revealed that the police reports for 21 public money and movable assets losses amounting to RM705,894 took between three and 1,746 days to lodge.

For this finding, the A-G's Report described the time taken to lodge the police report was unreasonable as compared to within 24 hours after the losses have been discovered.

"As a result, the follow-up action including preparing the Preliminary and Final Reports could not be done within the stipulated time," said the report.

AUDIT-REPORT (MOVEABLE ASSETS) 2 KUALA LUMPUR

The audit also found that the Preliminary Reports for 13 public money losses amounting to RM669,718 in the MOE were also not yet or were late to be prepared, taking up to 1,922 days.

The problem involved eight states and the Federal Territories including Pahang (1,922 days) although there was no information on the amount of the loss incurred by the state. Other states included Sabah which took up to 1,518 days to submit the Preliminary Reports involving losses of RM 205,627, Kelantan (up to 539 days and RM 296,905) and Kuala Lumpur (up to 498 days and RM 24,175).

Meanwhile, the A-G's Report revealed that the preliminary reports for 62 cases of movable asset losses amounting RM1.28 million were late to be submitted to the Controlling Officer by between 14 and 1,791 days, compared to within two days after lodging the police report as prescribed in the set guidelines.

In a reply to the audit, MOE said the delay was inevitable because it involved a review at the district and state education office levels before being submitted to the Asset Management Division of the ministry.

AUDIT-REPORT (MOVABLE ASSET) 3 (LAST) KUALA LUMPUR

In the meantime, the A-G's Report listed three summaries on audit findings for Women, Family and Community Development Ministry (KPWKM) including delayed in lodging police reports for seven public money losses amounting to RM 196,132, taking between five and 853 days.

The ministry also delayed the Preliminary Reports for four public money losses amounting to RM405,176 by between 38 and 1,484 days, while the Final Reports for eight public money losses investigation amounting RM543,088 have yet or late in submitting to the Treasury by between 18 and 277 days.

For this finding, the A-G described that the time taken to lodge the police report was unreasonable as the ministry should have lodged the police report and prepare the Preliminary Report to the Controlling Officer as soon as the losses were discovered.

-- BERNAMA