Oman, Korean audit bodies to strengthen cooperation

Muscat: Sheikh Nasser bin Hilal bin Nasser Al Mawali, chairman of State Audit Institution (SAI), headed the audit authority’s delegation during a visit to the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) and the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) of the Republic of Korea, between 21 to 24 October, 2019.
The visit falls in the purview of SAI’s efforts to strengthen the multi-faceted cooperation and exchange of expertise in the relevant fields, as well as promote integrity and fight corruption with their counterpart agencies.
The visit aimed to consider BAI’s experience with regards to the reinforcement of the national financial safety through pre-examination of risk factors in the national budget for effective financial management, and the expansion of tax revenues by finding sources of taxes and preventing tax misuse.
The visit also touched upon ways to enhance the effectiveness of regional development projects by applying quality assurance measures on administrative services.
During the visit, SAI had the opportunity to review BAI’s contribution to the revitalisation of the Korean national economy and see how BAI gains public confidence through focusing on the detection of unfair practices and applying suitable measures to counteract practices that may lead to corruption.
Further, the organisations of the countries reviewed their contributions, being members of international and regional organisations relevant to audit field primarily; the International Organisation for Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI), the Asian Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (ASOSAI), and other audit subcommittees.
Also, the Chairman and accompanying delegates visited the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) to learn about the efforts of the Commission in the adoption and application of the Anti-Corruption Initiative Assessment (AIA), corruption impact and integrity assessment in addition to exposed to training opportunities that can be offered to SAI staff in the field of combating corruption.
The delegation was also introduced to mechanisms relevant to handling complaints, execution and measurement of corruption perception surveys as well as ways to promote public-private partnerships.
SAI has also showcased the Sultanate’s efforts in the audit and integrity promotion fields, that is through adoption of legislations and appropriate audit procedures, in addition to sharing knowledge and experiences with the international community through joining international organisations or collaborating with counterpart agencies.