AMMAN — The Audit Bureau on Tuesday officially launched its 73rd annual report for the fiscal year 2024, detailing what it said a year of “significant financial recovery and institutional modernisation.”

 

The report, presented by Audit Bureau President Radi Hamadin, highlighted the oversight agency’s efforts in achieving financial savings amounting to JD22.3 million.

 

“This was the result of a rigorous oversight cycle involving 123,369 tasks and more than 444,000 working hours conducted by the bureau’s specialised staff,” Hamadin said during a meeting with journalists.

 

The submission is a legal requirement under Article 119 of the Jordanian Constitution, he said, adding that the report at the start of the Parliament’s ordinary session underscores the bureau’s commitment to transparency and its role as a watchdog over the executive branch.

 

Legal action and accountability

 

The 2024 report said that the bureau took a “firm” stance on financial irregularities, documenting 1,078 violations.

 

These findings led to 11 cases being referred to the judiciary and eight cases to the Integrity and Anti-Corruption Commission (JIACC) due to suspicions of corruption, it said.

 

The bureau said it had issued 46 decisions to recover funds spent without proper justification and 41 orders for the immediate collection of dues owed to the State Treasury.

 

The overall response rate from audited entities improved to 59 per cent this year, a significant rise from 21 per cent in 2022, according to the report.

 

Digital transformation

 

Hamadeen emphasised that 2024 marked a "qualitative shift" in how the bureau operates.

 

“The institution has transitioned toward risk-based auditing and digital transformation, utilising internally developed automated systems to track oversight outputs and manage audit documentation.”

 

Citizen-centric oversight

 

A key pillar of the bureau’s strategy remains the involvement of the public.

 

In 2024, the bureau processed 435 citizen complaints, which directly resulted in 15 oversight outputs, Hamadeen said, stressing that the citizen is the "core and ultimate goal" of the oversight process, noting that the protection of public funds directly impacts the quality of public services.

 

Global standing

 

The report also reaffirmed the bureau's international credibility. “It [bureau] remains the certified body for auditing loans and grants from the World Bank and other international donors, issuing 33 such reports this year.”

 

The report also said that the bureau audited the budgets of 35 political parties to ensure financial transparency within the political sphere.

 

Hamadin affirmed that the bureau will continue to focus on "Value for Money" (VFM) auditing, linking the use of public resources to tangible economic and social outcomes, while accelerating public sector reform in line with Royal directives.