Audit Office Shifts From Past Overpayments to Real-Time Checks
Kaieteur News reported that Auditor General Deodat Sharma said earlier overpayments had been recovered or cleared, or contractors had completed their work. The Audit Office is moving toward real-time checks of grants and pensions, alongside engineering training and three approved positions.
)
Kaieteur News reported two distinct elements of the Audit Office’s work: Sharma’s account of earlier overpayments and the office’s move toward monitoring future state payments in real time. Sharma said overpayments identified in previous audit cycles had been recovered or cleared, or contractors had completed their work. The account does not establish that every case involved cash repayment.
For its forward-looking work, the Audit Office is moving toward real-time audits of disbursements, including public assistance cash grants and pension payments, to catch irregularities as they occur. The shift comes as the national budget grew from G$883.1 billion in 2021 to G$1.558 trillion in 2026, according to Kaieteur News.
The publication also reported that engineers in the Audit Office’s Works and Structures Division completed Project Management Professional training to assess complex contract delivery, resource allocation and contractor performance. The Public Service Commission approved three additional engineer positions to strengthen scrutiny of structural projects. These are capacity measures; Kaieteur News did not report that the real-time audits had already produced findings.
)