The financial records of the Male' city council, which is the largest state-funded council, have not been audited for the last 10 years.
The Auditor General's Office is responsible for auditing public offices, including all councils. According to the Auditor General's Office website, the Male' city council was audited from 2012 to 2014 and the report was published in 2016. No audits have been conducted since then.
When questioned about the matter, Mayor Adam Azim told Adhadhu that the council has not past audit reports. But he added that the Auditor General's Office has been making plans to audit the council.
"The Audit Office is making visits to us to do the external audit. They are doing the planning. The Auditor General's Office has been doing the plan for about six months now. They are planning now. They will start the audit after that," Azim said.
He stated that the delay in beginning the audit is likely due to the long duration that has passed since the last audit.
Meanwhile, the Male' city council has hired an internal auditor for the next two years. Crowe Maldives LLP is now tasked with the internal audit of the capital city's council.
Azim expressed hopes that the internal audit will increase transparency and raise public confidence in the city council.
"Wherever I take over, the top priority is to do things within the rules and regulations. And the audit function is very important to ensure that. As such, I will continue to strengthen the audit function wherever I am," he said.
Azim also said that the internal audit could facilitate the external audits.
Auditor General Hussain Niyazy did not respond to a request for comment.
