Malawians will have to wait some more for the forensic audit report into theft of public resources to be released for public consumption after National Audit Office (NAO) announced a further delay on today (Tuesday)
NAO had earlier announced February 18, as the day the Auditor General Stephenson Kamphasa would handover the report to the Minister of Finance who would then release it to the public.
However, NAO communications manager Thomas Chafunya said in a press release that this would delay further to ensure the report meets international standards.
“The delay is a result of the need to ensure that the forensic audit report meets the International Standards on Auditing as promulgated in the International Standards on Supreme Auditing Institutions enforced by the International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions of which Malawi Audit Office is a member,” the press release reads.
These standards, according to NAO, would ensure that the report is clear to every reader without needing further explanation.
To meet these standards, the Auditor General made comments and observations which he resubmitted to the forensic auditors to finalise the report.
Auditors were expected to submit report to Minister of Finance Maxwell Mkwezalamba today as per Sec 184 (2) of the Constitution but this will be delayed further.
It is only after the report is resubmitted that it would be forwarded to the Minister of Finance.
Chafunya did not immediately have a new date for when the report would be submitted to the minister but all indications are the minister would only be able to make it public when Parliament meets in April.
The latest development will further raise the ire of Malawians, led by civil society and opposition politicians who have called for an immediate publication of the report which was concluded on February 14.
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Full Statement on forensic audit report release delay
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