A further investigation will be carried out on the procurement of goods and services in relation to the 52nd Asian Development Bank Annual General Meeting in 2019 on possible material mismanagement in the Ministry of Civil Services.

Standing Committee on Public Accounts Chair Esrom Immanuel yesterday moved a motion to debate the review of the special investigation report on procurement of goods and services in relation to 52nd ADB meeting.

The Ministry of Civil Service was given the responsibility to plan the international event, which attracted over 3000 attendees from 76 countries.

As the host country, the former government allocated $10 million to meet the costs of the event, and upon completion of the meeting, the actual cost incurred was $10.9 million raising questions about the transparency and management of funds.

Immanuel says the Auditor General’s report, which formed the basis of the investigation, highlights several significant issues, including possible fraud, non-compliance with financial regulations, and conflicts of interest in vendor appointments.

He outlined key findings of the report, noting that the Office of the Auditor General found sufficient audit evidence to determine the existence of fraud in some of the payments.

Immanuel says investigation revealed delays in processing major event contracts and inefficiencies in the management of funds.

Immanuel also says that while the investigation and subsequent improvements were crucial, the report was significantly delayed.

He says although completed in December 2020, the report was not presented to Parliament until May 2023.

He also emphasized the importance of the investigation in driving necessary reforms and urged for continued oversight to prevent future mismanagement of public funds.

Parliament Speaker Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu invoked the Standing Order 20 to refer the matter to public accounts sub-committee to carry out further investigation and will now await their report.