THE NATIONAL AUDIT OFFICE: Maltese Member at the European Court of Auditors Leo Brincat makes an official visit to the National Audit Office

Maltese Member at the European Court of Auditors (ECA) Leo Brincat paid another official visit to the National Audit Office (NAO), where he was welcomed by Auditor General Charles Deguara and Deputy Auditor General Noel Camilleri.

The main objective of this visit was for Mr Brincat to officially present to the Auditor General a copy of the Court’s Annual Report that was published on Tuesday.

During his address, Mr Brincat emphasised the importance that the very good working relationship between the National Audit Office and the European Court of Auditors continues to be enhanced even further, particularly in view of the fact that, ultimately, the main objective of these two entities was practically identical – essentially that public funds are used in the best manner possible in the interest of all our citizens. He conveyed his appreciation for the excellent work being undertaken by the National Audit Office in order that good governance across the public service continues to be enhanced. Mr Brincat stated that the COVID-19 pandemic brought the Court of Auditors and esteemed bodies like the NAO closer together, since, apart from stepping up their exchanges during these times of uncertainty, it also offered both sides the opportunity to put into practice lessons learned from each other in continuing to produce high quality audits, notwithstanding the difficult prevailing circumstances across the global landscape.

Finally, he also conveyed his thanks to the National Audit Office for once again hosting the annual Joint ECA-NAO Seminar, which will be held tomorrow morning. He emphasised that these activities are very beneficial, mostly because they offer a good opportunity to the staff of both the National Audit Office as well as the Internal Audit and Investigations Department to keep abreast of the emerging issues in the area of public sector auditing.

The Auditor General thanked Mr Brincat for managing to find the time to visit the office once again, notwithstanding his extremely tight schedule during his short visit to Malta. He also said he is confident that tomorrow’s joint seminar will once again be another successful one, as were the seven previous editions held in past years.

The Auditor General confirmed that work on this year’s Annual Report for Public Accounts was at a very advanced stage and it will be published in the coming weeks. Thus, he conveyed his heartfelt appreciation to the Deputy Auditor General, management, and all staff within the NAO for the dedication, competence and professionalism consistently shown in the work produced by the NAO, as amply reflected in the many reports – touching upon various topical themes – published by the National Audit Office during this year.

Source: Office of the Prime Minister