Manama, Oct.29 (BNA): His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, today issued directives to restructure internal audit processes within government in order to further strengthen internal auditing and accountability measures.
The directive was announced during a meeting of the Government Executive Committee which reviewed the 2018-2019 National Audit Office (NAO) report and outlined the procedural and administrative measures taken to address the cases of non-compliance, broken down as follows:
· 10 cases of a criminal nature which have been referred to the Public Prosecution, cases include:
- 2 violations from the Ministry of Information Affairs
- 3 violations from the Ministry of Youth and Sports Affairs
- 1 violation from Budaiya Cultural Sports Club
- 1 violation from Al-Najma Sports Club
- 1 violation from the University of Bahrain
- 1 violation from the Electricity and Water Authority
- 1 from the Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco)
· 26 cases which will be referred to the Ministerial Committee for Legal and Legislative Affairs, for assessment internal investigation committee
· 406 cases of procedural violations to be addressed by administrative measures in order to prevent reoccurrence
During the meeting, HRH the Crown Prince reiterated the importance of swiftly applying these oversight recommendations, especially in cases of non-compliance in order to safeguard public funds.
HRH the Crown Prince went on to underscore the Government’s commitment to further strengthen the remit and capabilities of supervisory and administrative agencies, which will help facilitate the Kingdom reaching its desired development goals, to the benefit all Bahraini citizens.
HRH the Crown Prince stressed the importance of objectivity and transparency when addressing all non-compliance cases included in the report, in order to ensure continued quality management for operations involved with public service delivery.
HRH the Crown Prince praised the commitment to the Kingdom’s laws and regulations from the vast majority of Government employees, and for the exceptional quality of the services they provide to citizens and residents, which continue to strengthen citizens’ trust in public services.
HRH the Crown Prince concluded by expressing his appreciation for efforts made by the NAO’s President and its employees in preparing this year’s annual report, which has become essential to safeguarding public funds.
AHN