Crown Prince chairs Executive Council meeting to discuss National Audit Court report
His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister chaired an Executive Committee meeting at Gudaibiya Palace, during which non-compliance issues raised in the National Audit Court (NAC) report were discussed.
After the Executive Committee charged the Legal Affairs Committee to look into all cases of non-compliance for further investigation, the Committee has provided a legal opinion outlining appropriate actions. As a result, His Royal Highness has instructed these cases of non-compliance as highlighted in the report to be transferred to the Office of the Public Prosecutor.
His Royal Highness noted that this process should commence in coordination with the Ministry of Interior’s Department for Investigating Corruption, in order to begin investigations.
His Royal Highness called for the suspension of individuals who are facing trials before the courts, as a result of failing to comply with public spending rules. His Royal Highness further called for internal inquiries at the Bahrain Flour Mills Company and the Bahrain Chamber for Dispute Resolution (BCDR-AAA) to investigate issues of non-compliance highlighted in the NAC report. His Royal Highness emphasised that he expects the Public Prosecutor to begin looking into the cases identified swiftly.
During the Committee meeting, His Royal Highness noted that the majority of public sector employees adhere to the rules and procedures in place and work responsibly to provide services to the people and citizens of Bahrain. His Royal Highness also welcomed the close co-ordination among government entities in order to submit their responses and develop policies to rectify shortcomings identified in the NAC report, before the deadline of 19 December, to ensure public spending scrutiny and accountability.
His Royal Highness went on to reiterate that encouraging scrutiny of public expenditure will ensure on-going constructive interaction with auditing bodies and increased governmental efficiency and performance. His Royal Highness also stated that further development and implementation of key competencies in this regard serves both the country and people of Bahrain.
His Royal Highness added that the adoption of strict auditing measures to protect public funds represents one of the main pillars of the development and reform programme initiated by His Majesty King Hamad and reiterated that protecting public funds falls in line with principles laid out in 2001’s National Action Charter. His Royal Highness went on emphasising the importance of work to protect the Kingdom’s assets.
During the meeting chaired by His Royal Highness, it was determined, following responses submitted by Governmental Committees, that the mechanism for addressing all the issues and shortcomings identified in the NAC report would consist of two key elements; one predominantly legal and the other policy-orientated. Furthermore, His Royal Highness also stressed the importance of implementing strict measures against other shortcomings raised in the NAC report that are not categorised as corruption. In addition, His Royal Highness announced that departmental committees will be allocated a maximum of six months to propose policies and mechanisms to prevent similar issues occurring in the future.
His Royal Highness confirmed the commitment of the Executive Committee in taking the appropriate steps with full accountability, transparency, and responsibility to address all the issues raised in the NAC report and prevent them from recurring in the future. Moreover, the Committee will work to facilitate the full adoption of strict auditing measures within governmental departments and ensure adequate handling of public funds. His Royal Highness further emphasised that this complements the efforts of the Government, under the leadership of His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa.
