Audit: Tourism’s finances managed in Excel sheets, unable to authenticate

Auditor General’s Office reports Ministry of Tourism prepared its receipts and managed its financial records in Microsoft Excel sheets which anyone could have tampered with, leading to inability to authenticate the amounts noted in its financial records.

Multiple violations of State finance policy were brought to light in the financial audit of Ministry of Tourism for the year 2014, which was released by Auditor General’s Office this week.

Corruption and embezzlement cases involving Ministry of Tourism and Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) when the former Vice President and Minister of Tourism Ahmed Adeeb Abdul Gafoor came to light in the days leading to his eventual arrest and after – which has led to the current Minister of Tourism Moosa Zameer announcing all payments previously accepted by Ministry of Tourism will be handled through Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA).

Auditor General’s Office noted that while State finance policy dictated serial numbers be written in bill and every receipt and that the financial documents be kept in order some of the receipts issued by Regional Airports – run under Ministry of Tourism – did not have necessary information such as date of issuance, stamp or signature.

It was also noted that receipts were prepared in a Microsoft Excel template which any one can tamper with. It was noted that there was no protocol for cancellation of receipts, and no audit trail to an amendment and re-print of receipts.

The receipts did not have a serial number, and there’s no way to authenticate whether the financial records had been maintained and updated on a daily basis.

Auditor General’s Office reported that there was therefore no way to authenticate whether the MVR 7,644,711 listed as income for Ministry of Tourism in 2014 had been received by the ministry; or the authenticity of the MVR 10,165,564 listed as income in its consolidated financial statement.

Additional issues brought to light include Ministry of Tourism not being regular in transferring payments it received to its public bank account. It was noted that USD 50,000 and MVR 50,700 in 19 receipts received by Ministry of Tourism, and MVR 129,742 in two receipts received by Regional Airports were banked with its public bank account seven days after the payment was received.

State finance policy dictates that payments be banked on the same day itself, if there is enough time.

Auditor General’s Office noted that delay in banking payments increased risk of money being stolen and negative impact to the State cash flow.