Anti-Corruption Commission urged to expose the absence of regional audit report

Anti-Corruption Commission urged to expose the absence of regional audit report
Published 7 January 2020

Yangon Watch has urged the Anti-Corruption Commission to monitor and expose the State losses caused by the absence of duties by the authorized persons and the acts that benefit a person or a group through the abuse of power and to regard the matters included in the report as the notorious one as the original audit report of the Yangon Region Auditor-General has not come out yet. 

Daw Nyo Nyo Thin, founder of the Yangon Watch said: “The restriction on the original report of Yangon Region Auditor-General amounts to enabling the country’s democracy to turn back when the country is on the democratic path. This is the public’s rights entrusted by the constitution. The auditor-general will check those who use money and then submit the report to the parliament and the government simultaneously. It is exactly disclosed in the Union Auditor-General Law. The public are losing their rights entrusted by the constitution as someone has made restriction. It is questionable. I would like to ask officials of Yangon Region government and heads including Yangon Region Parliament speaker, where the original report of the auditor-general for 2017-18 FY is.”

“Budget spending by the Yangon Region government include money for the construction. In 2017-18 FY, the region government spent Ks 465.7 billion. That amount is equal to the total spending in five regions and states. The region governments spent such a huge amount of money. It is evident that the act amounts to hiding the auditor-general’s report,” Daw Nyo Nyo Thin added. 

Under the constitution, the public including all MPs have access to the original audit report. According to Section 3 (a) (1) of the Anti-Corruption Law, giving advantages to someone legally or illegally through the abuse of power is corruption. Giving advantages to someone through the abuse of power or the violation of procedures is corruption as "bribe" covers not only cash gifts but also other illegal benefits according to Section 3 (b) of the Anti-Corruption Law.

The statement says, any persons involved in hiding the original audit report which have to be issued in the gazette in accord with the law and the parliamentary procedures, shall pay special attention to the probation as Yangon Watch believes that the government-appointed auditor-general is more lenient than other independent auditors. It needs to be aware of the fact that the acts benefiting a group of people or a group of organization through the abuse of power or giving the cover to a group of people or a group of organization which did wrong things, would amount to committing corruption. 

Yangon Watch earnestly called on the government to distribute the original audit report of the Auditor-General to the MPs at the 11th regular session of  Yangon Region Parliament and to make cooperation for public access. 

The Public Account Committee alone has got the original audit report (2017-18 FY) of the Yangon Region Auditor-General.

Yangon Watch also urged the region parliament to fully exercise its rights that can assign the duty to the auditor-general to check the region government’s suspected works for 2017-18 FY, again. 

Yangon Watch will send its statement to Yangon Region Parliament, the government, MPs and the auditor-general.