KATHMANDU, May 23: Lawmakers have raised concerns over the functioning of the Office of the Auditor General (OAG), stating that the state’s constitutional body has been limited to merely revealing arrears in government offices while failing to investigate major corruption cases.
Speaking at a Parliamentary Finance Committee meeting on Friday, members of parliament pointed out the ineffective working mechanism of the OAG. OAG officials have been accused of charging exorbitant amounts from offices during field visits. The lawmakers urged the OAG to revise its working modality by adopting technology-friendly systems and focusing on recovering arrears rather than merely identifying problems.
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Ain Bahadur Mahar, a member of parliament from CPN-UML, raised concerns over the OAG’s failure to investigate issues including the 147 kg gold scam. “While the total arrears of the past decade amount to Rs 1.542 trillion, the allocated budget to recover it stands at just Rs 10 million,” he said.
The latest annual report from the OAG showed that total arrears have reached Rs 755 billion, with another Rs 88.90 billion added in just one fiscal year. Prem Lal Chaudhary, a lawmaker from the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party, said the OAG needs to investigate why arrears increase by such a large amount every year. “There must be a provision requiring the OAG to report to the parliamentary committee with an explanation as to why the amount in question could not be recovered,” Chaudhary added.
Nepali Congress lawmaker Yogesh Gauchan Thakali questioned the OAG’s failure to audit the misappropriation of state funds carried out through manipulation of the e-bidding portal of the Public Procurement Monitoring Office.
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