Ambrin watching developments in SWD
KUALA LUMPUR: The massive fraud in the Sabah Water Department has raised many questions in Tan Sri Ambrin Buang’s mind, but the Auditor-General will wait for the antigraft authority to complete its probe before deciding whether to zero-in on the department.
“This is about procurement, so how was the procurement handled? Who handled it? If the money came from the ministry, was it then channeled to a state ministry or department in Sabah? Who selected the contractors?” Ambrin said when asked on the case.
“I am interested to know how they (the perpetrators) did it, but the only people who know about this is the MACC (Malaysian AntiCorruption Commission) and they have not yet finished their work,” Ambrin added when met after closing the Open Government Partnership Conference here.
The one-day event was organised by the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs.
Asked whether he would launch an audit on the state water authority once the MACC completed its work, Ambrin said: “Well see.”
Asked whether department had been audited by him before this, Ambrin said it was among the agencies examined in a study on the provision of water supply to rural areas.
The findings of the study, he said, were included in the Auditor-General’s Report last year.
Asked whether the study looked at how the department managed its funds, Ambrin replied:
“Not so much on the funds, we looked more at the projects, because they said they wanted to supply water to a certain number of households, so we looked at whether they were successful, how many households were actually provided with water.”
Asked how to strengthen audit of government departments in light of the case, Ambrin said the public must understand that the National Audit Department which he heads could not audit every single government body every year.
“We audit based on a sample, and if there are shortcomings in that small sample audited, then the authorities in charge must check what is happening in other places.”
On a separate matter, Ambrin, who was asked on whether he would declassify the Auditor-General’s Report on 1Malaysia Development Berhad, said the decision was now with the Public Accounts Committee.
“It is the PAC which made the decision for our report not to go public, so (it remains) unless they have a change of mind,” he said.
Earlier in his speech, Ambrin said that since 2014, his department had been tasked to follow-up on corrective measures to address shortcomings identified in the AuditorGeneral’s Report.
His department was also monitoring the punitive measures to be taken against errant officers.
“For serious negligence cases, disciplinary action has been taken in the last three years against 150 government personnel,” said Ambrin.
They included fines, surcharges, delayed salary increments and warnings which would affect promotions.
The MACC and police would also conduct their own investigations into cases of fraud and corruption.
He said the next instalment of the AuditorGeneral’s Report would be presented in Parliament by next month.