Lawmakers Question Auditor General's Office Operations in Public Accounts Committee

Lawmakers in the Public Accounts Committee queried the Auditor General's Office on Friday regarding its 63rd annual report and operational procedures. During the meeting, concerns were raised about the office's alleged inability to perform effectively, accusations of seeking service facilities directly from the auditee offices while conducting audits, and expressions of anger over the office's silence on major corruption scandals. Lawmakers suggested that it is essential for the Auditor General's Office to be not only limited in showing inefficiencies but also focused on being impartial. They also proposed the transformation of the Auditor General's Office into a technologically friendly entity. At the beginning of the meeting, Vipin Acharya, a member of the National Independent Party, questioned what steps the committee should take to grant additional powers to the Auditor General's Office. He emphasized the need for legal reforms, public participation, and clear goals in the committee's scrutiny. Another lawmaker, Vikram Thapa of the Rashtriya Janata Party, inquired about the increasing trend of audits being conducted without showing improvements. He stated, "We aim to show inefficiencies but not to be partial in our approach." Thapa highlighted the necessity of addressing the lack of essential manpower at the Auditor General's Office and requested information on the specific conditions under which special audits are conducted. Nepal Communist Party lawmaker Aain Mahar raised concerns about why the Auditor General's Office conducted an audit on a serious issue like the 147-kilogram gold scam. He expressed dissatisfaction over the Rs. 15.42 billion remaining unverified in the 2015 fiscal year budget and questioned how operations can proceed with only Rs. 1 crore budget allocated for fraud cases. He also recommended making the expenses of around Rs. 65-70 crore transparent for the Auditor General's Office.