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Large number of general audit objections nulled automatically

CAG issues an order to this effect


| Updated: June 19, 2020 21:45:27


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A significant number of general audit objections was nulled automatically through an order issued to help strengthen the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of Bangladesh, officials said.

Two types of complaints namely general objections and 'serious financial irregularities' are recorded with the constitutional body.

Through the order issued by CAG, general audit objections recorded between the fiscal year (FY) 1972 and FY 2010 will be considered 'resolved automatically' as there is a little scope for settlement of the same.

The general objections filed as cases with the courts will not be settled through this order, rather the courts will decide their fate.

The FE has obtained a copy of the office order issued by CAG on Sunday (June 14).

According to it, a number of civil servants involved with general objections are no more alive or it is impossible to settle them on several grounds including retirement of the employees concerned.

There are some old objections and their documents are very much complex to scan to upload with new software.

Insiders said the CAG has taken an initiative to introduce a software-based solution to help settle the objections within a short period and lessen the hassle for the officials concerned.

The new software will include the records of unsettled general objections since FY 2011 and serious financial objections since FY 1972.

Though there is no statistics on an exact number of such objections, but it is estimated to be nearly 0.8 million pending objections. Of the total, around 80 per cent objections are expected to be settled through the order.

But such objections having court cases are not included with the situation like general amnesty.

So, accurate figure will be known after getting statistics from the chief accounting officers later.

Deputy CAG Md Mahbubul Haque said they want to strengthen financial reporting, but such backlog is a barrier.

"We want to strengthen the auditing system but huge manpower and resources are involved with the settlement activities," he added.

The settled objections are procedural or compliance lapses; for example, a tender process needs three bidders for giving a work order after evaluation; but the tendering authority had given work order not taking three bidders, he said.

Under this order, the principal accounting officer will communicate it saying that these are automatically solved.

The official said these are barriers to preparation of quality financial report as huge manpower remain involved with the pending cases.

Settlement of the objections will not only benefit the office of CAG but also many civil servants especially those whose pension cases remain pending.

Mr. Mahbubul Haque also said there are some cases where all people concerned are no more alive.

"Many people are facing difficulties in availing their pensions for long though they were not clearly involved in procedural lapses."

He said public servants having such general objections are not getting service benefits.

"The Director General of Audit Department will forward a letter to principal accounting officers concerned to settle the objections from FY 1972 to 2010."

The letter will be considered as the final document for settlement of the general audit objections, he said, adding that there will be no necessity for issuing separate letters for each objection.

"If any issue involving the objections remain under courts' jurisdiction, it will be decided by the courts," he said.

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