‘Let’s protect public funds’

TDT | Manama                                                 

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, highlighted Bahrain’s commitment to adopting and implementing plans and programmes that ensure the effective and optimal management of public funds, in line with the aspirations and visions of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

HRH Prince Salman was speaking as he received the Auditor-General of the National Audit Office (NAO), HE Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, who presented the 20th NAO Annual Report 2022-2023, at Riffa Palace.

The Deputy Prime Minister, HE Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, the Minister of Finance and National Economy, HE Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, and the Minister of Cabinet Affairs, HE Hamad bin Faisal Al Malki, also attended the meeting.

His Royal Highness underlined the Kingdom’s firm commitment to address all the NAO’s observations, implement measures to enhance oversight and accountability and consolidate integrity, honesty, and professionalism across government workstreams.

HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister emphasised Team Bahrain’s commitment to performing their responsibilities professionally and efficiently, and ensuring that public funds are managed according to national regulations.

He noted the NAO’s dedication to their regulatory mandate, which is reflected in their reports issued annually.

Best practices

HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister commended government agencies’ commitment to adopting the best practices across their administrative and financial procedures to ensure the optimal management of public funds.

HRH Prince Salman stressed the importance for government agencies to review, analyse, and document all observations and ensure that the necessary legal measures are taken immediately. His Royal Highness stressed the importance for government agencies that have observations of non-compliance in their finances and administration to correct these observations and ensure they are not repeated in future reports.

Unwavering support

HE Shaikh Ahmed highlighted that the NAO continues to develop, thanks to the unwavering support of HM the King, and HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister.

He noted that the report included findings from various economic, social, and service sectors, explaining that the fundamental observations and recommendations outlined within the report cover the team’s findings for the 2022-2023 year.