The Annual Audit Report on the Public Accounts for 2022 has been presented to Speaker Anglu Farrugia by the Auditor General, Mr. Charles Deguara.

It comprises 26 audit reports on the operations of several public sector entities. The Report found among others “limited internal controls and lack of segregation of duties.”

This publication also includes an analysis of the Financial Report 2022, as well as an overview of the Statements of Arrears of Revenue for the same year, as submitted to Treasury by the respective Ministry, Department and Entity.

The National Audit Office said it has judiciously analysed the level of compliance of various expenditure and revenue items with prevailing rules and regulations.

The Report gives over 250 relevant recommendations which are meant to “address the shortcomings identified during these reviews and thus promote good governance and best practice in Government’s operations.”

The NAO said some of the key findings identified were the following:

Limited internal controls and lack of segregation of duties.

Habitual bypassing of procurement regulations, including irregular use of negotiated procedures, services rendered under expired contracts and lack of necessary approvals.

Weaknesses in the payroll system, leading to incorrect calculation of allowances and regular use of overtime, often unauthorised.

Insufficient enforcement on amounts due to Government.

Lack of audit trail and Standard Operating Procedures.

This Report may be accessed through the NAO website: www.nao.gov.mt

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