Maldives Parliament Approves MVR 133.5 Million Budget for Auditor General's Office

The People's Majlis on Tuesday approved a budget of MVR 133.5 million for the Auditor General's Office for the upcoming fiscal year. The budget was passed unanimously with 46 members voting in favour during the parliamentary session. The budget, submitted by the Auditor General's Office, was reviewed by the Finance Committee of the Majlis. Committee member Ahmed Mamdhooh, MP for Funadhoo constituency, presented the committee's report, noting that the proposed budget is slightly lower than this year's allocation. Recurrent expenditure and capital costs for office operations are estimated at MVR 90.09 million, a decrease of MVR 2.7 million from this year's MVR 92.1 million. Recurrent expenses alone are projected at MVR 85.8 million, four percent lower than the current budget. During the debate, Ibrahim Falah, leader of the ruling People's National Congress (PNC) parliamentary group, emphasised the office's role in recovering wasted public funds and urged it to produce impartial reports. “Reports must be factual – they should not damage the reputation of someone who has done no wrong, nor should they hide misconduct,” he said. MP Maaroof Zakir of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) expressed concern over the reduction in the budget, warning that continued cuts to staff expenses could hinder the office's ability to carry out audits effectively. Dr. Ahmed Shamheed, also of the MDP, noted that the office had received its requested budgets in recent years but had prioritised auditing local councils, which he argued may not be the most high-risk area. “We see that the office is not focusing on areas with large sums of money. After council audits are completed, there may be little else for the office to do,” he said.