Lower House refers violations from 2017 Audit Bureau report to concerned entities

AMMAN — The Lower House on Tuesday recommended referring the violations cited in the 2017 Audit Bureau report to the appropriate authorities.

During an oversight session, MPs passed the Finance Committee's recommendations, including referring eight violations to the prosecutor general’s office for further legal processing, 71 violations to the Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission, 37 to the respective authorities to retrieve public funds and 194 other violations to the concerned bodies to rectify outcomes.

Lauding the efforts of the Parliamentary Finance Committee, the Audit Bureau and the related government committee in addressing the bureau's 2017 report, Prime Minister Omar Razzaz said that this approach has introduced a new method based on real figures, “without exaggeration”.       

To facilitate officials’ questioning, the premier highlighted the government's plans to address the Audit Bureau's inquiries on a monthly basis as of 2021, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported    

Razzaz also said that 80 per cent of the loans mentioned in the report have been granted by the government to support the National Electric Power Company following the halt of Egyptian gas, while 20 per cent went to supporting universities, among others.

Reaffirming the government's commitment to follow up on deputies' recommendations, Minister of State for Prime Ministry Affairs Sami Daoud said that the government has tasked a team to review the outcomes of the 2017 Audit Bureau report, referring 65 inquiries to the judiciary and retrieving misused government vehicles, among other rectifying actions.

The House rejected a violation reported by MP Mutazz Abu Rumman concerning the bureau declining a 1 million euro grant offered to the Agriculture Ministry. 

MP Khaled Bakkar, head of the financial panel, said that a condition had been attached to the grant stipulating that a certain company implements the grant's projects, which had been rejected by the Cabinet, and Bakkar deemed the grant "money laundering". 

According to the bureau’s website, the law requires an annual report be presented to the Lower House, which outlines any irregularities, deficiencies or weaknesses in the performance of audited entities. The report should be presented at the beginning of the Parliament’s ordinary session, and at any other time the House of Representatives may require.

The bureau oversees revenues, expenditures, deposits, advances, loans, settlements and warehouse accounts for all government ministries, departments, agencies, public official institutions and independent official entities.

It also oversees municipal boards, syndicates, professional unions, charities and voluntary bodies, as well as companies in which the government has a 50 per cent stake or more.