… Auditor General to increase Value for Money auditsOverpayment of contractors and abuse of the Contingency Fund are among problems, which continue to affect the handling of taxpayers’ money, Auditor General Deodat Sharma said yesterday.Sharma presented his 2008 report on the Public Accounts of Guyana, including the accounts of Ministries, departments and regions, to Speaker of the National Assembly Ralph Ramkarran yesterday.Speaking with reporters after, Sharma said the 2008 report points out the continued problems of overpayment to contractors and abuse of the contingency fund. He also cited problems with procurement, and said in some cases logbooks and vouchers are not presented.Based on previous reports, Sharma said departments have taken action to correct the problems but he sees further room for improvement, such as compliance with the Procurement Act and the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act.The Speaker of the House congratulated Sharma on presentation of the report. Ramkarran also commended the work being done by the bi-partisan Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee, which examines the Auditor General’s report and make recommendations.The Speaker called for more resources to be dedicated to such committees, especially the critical ones like the Public Accounts Committee.“The Auditor General and the Public Accounts Committee are the guardians of our resources,Cheap Jerseys China,” said Ramkarran.Commenting on several improvements at the Audit Office, including staff development and additional workers, Ramkarran said this would mean an even better quality of report and even more details so that the people of Guyana would be fully and better informed about how their taxpayer dollars are being spent and whether they are getting value for money.The Auditor General, who has served 30years in the Audit Office, pointed to several improvements at the Audit Office.With the assistance granted through a technical cooperation agreement signed on September 2007, between the Inter-American Development Bank and the Government of Guyana, three new Units were established in 2008.These are the Performance/Value for Money (VFM) Audit, Forensic Audit, and Quality Assurance Units.A number of officers have been trained in these areas: Value for Money 55 officers; Forensic Audit 25 officers; and Quality Assurance 28 officers.Sharma said the Audit Office would be seeking to increase the percentage of Value for Money audits currently being done. Six officers, including Sharma, underwent a nine-month training programme in Canada, courtesy of the Canadian Comprehensive Audit Foundation. “So, the Audit Office has the necessary technical capabilities to conduct such audits,” the Auditor General stated.The Audit Office has completed one Value for Money Audit, that is, “An Assessment of the Living Conditions of the Resident of the Palms Geriatric Unit”, which was laid in the National Assembly in December 2009.Two audits are currently in progress: one at the reporting stage (“A Review of the Old Age Pension Benefits in Guyana”), which is expected to be presented shortly, and the other at its examination stage “Audit of the Procurement Activities in Guyana.”The Forensic Audit Unit was set up to play an important role in combating fraud and corruption in Guyana. The Unit is currently undertaking a number of investigations, including frauds at Region Four and $300-million fraud at the Guyana Revenue Authority.To strengthen capability and competency of this Unit, ten officers are currently undertaking online courses in Fraud Auditing and Forensic Accounting, which will ultimately lead to them becoming Certified Fraud Examiners.The Audit Office is also moving forward and is trying to keep pace with the world, in terms of Auditing. In fact, the Audit Office will be moving more towards “Risk Based Auditing”, which is in keeping with the Office’s Strategic Plan for the next three years.In this regard, a consultant will be attached to the Audit Office from the second quarter in 2010 to assist and guide the Office along the way.The Audit Office’s information systems capacity was thither enhanced,Cheap Jordan Sneakers Wholesale, especially its communication and collaboration capabilities.During 2009, all of its technical officers were trained in the use of Groupware software, while some staff members benefitted from training in the use of Audit and Data Analysis software (a computer assisted audit tool). These efforts are expected to be continued, in keeping with the Office’s Strategic Plan.In order to acquire the best qualified staff,Jerseys NFL Cheap, the Office continue to provide professional development training materials to the Office’s staff through the acquisition of text books,Wholesale Jerseys Supply, and