JEDDAH: The General Auditing Bureau has complained that some government bodies have not responded or cooperated with it after certain violations were uncovered. It said in a statement Saturday that the bodies in question do not address the violations, prevent their recurrence or hold the appropriate people responsible – and this has led to increases of violations and excesses. The GAB said that in most cases, it refers its reports and observations to the department or administration in question, but they try to justify the violations by interpretations of regulations and instructions, and seek to prolong the investigation process through committees and correspondence. This shows that some bodies have no concern for the General Auditing Bureau's observations and reports, which leads to losing the chance to tackle shortcomings and hold appropriate people responsible, the statement said. The statement noted that its investigations uncovered shortcomings and violations after the floods that hit Jeddah and caused vast losses. It examined and assessed contracts and projects related to rainwater drainage, floods, sewage projects, the sewage treatment plant in Jeddah, a large number of municipal projects and the project to combat dengue fever. “Not implementing the role of the Follow Up and Internal Review departments – which are ordered by King Abdullah to be established at every government department and linked to the head of the department directly – is one of the most significant reasons for the repetition of violations and not complying with regulations and instructions,” the statement said. The bureau said it is necessary to assign a department at government bodies to study control departments' reports, observations, financial violations and breaches of regulations; identify those responsible; and submit the matter to the head of the government body so he can address them. The statement also called for strengthening the role of local municipal councils in identifying development priorities and the required infrastructure projects in each region. The councils should verify that there are complete and documented studies and plans, and receive periodic reports of progress on them from executive bodies.
