Water Dept projects not audited since 2002

Kuala Lumpur: The Sabah Water Department has never been audited on its water infrastructure projects. Instead, checks by the auditor general (AG) were mostly on its non-revenue water management and privatisation of supply. Checks by the New Straits Times on the AG's Reports from 2002 to last year found that the department had been audited seven times. For 2002, 2003 and 2004, the audits were on the privatisation of water supply while for 2005, 2006 and 2009, they were on the management of non-revenue water. For 2011, it concentrated mainly on the management of water supply billing.

The nature of the audits had been included in the Audit Act 1957.

Section 6b (a) stipulates that "whether due care has been taken to account for and to ensure proper use, control, maintenance and disposal of all public stores or other stores subject to his audit".

In 2010, AG Tan Sri Ambrin Buang was quoted by a news portal as saying that projects were randomly selected to undergo audit. "Although the media also investigates on their own, we do our own depending on the scope.

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"Maybe we cover places that are not covered. "We try to be fair but we are random. We sometimes get calls and suggestions to investigate," he said.

Ambrin told the NST that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) should be allowed to complete its investigation into graft allegations in the awarding of RM3.3 billion worth of infrastructure projects by the Sabah Water Department.

He said this when asked to comment on former rural and regional development minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal's statement denying any links to corruption in the department during his tenure.

Shafie had said on Sunday that the AG should have been able to detect any mishandling of funds or projects during the period.

Ambrin also refused to respond when asked whether the department had been audited for the past 10 years.

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Shafie, who is Semporna member of parliament, said last year's AG's Report showed that the ministry had used 95 per cent of its allocation while he was in office.

He also said he did not know the two senior officials, who were hauled up by MACC in connection with the alleged graft case, and it was puzzling that the illegally siphoned off RM3.3 billion had been associated only with his former ministry.

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