Name: Oman's audit body reveals irregularities in mosque utility bills
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Oman's audit body reveals irregularities in mosque utility bills

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SubscribeE-paperMuscat – State Audit Institution’s (SAI) annual report for 2022 has highlighted financial and administrative irregularities relating to electricity and water bills of mosques.&nbsp;Analysing and auditing electr-icity and water bills and dues of mosques under the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs (MERA), SAI found unauthorised connections, breaches in regulations and escalating utility costs.&nbsp;SAI’s annual report offers a comprehensive insight into discrepancies in financial and administrative declarations of government sector departments. The report underscores SAI’s persistent efforts in identifying, rectifying and championing transparency and accountability.MERA’ delay in rolling out the Endowment Fund for Caretaking of Mosques regulation led to an accumulation of electricity and water dues to utility companies for 2021 and 2022, SAI reported. It also failed to benefit from the deposited money in the fund.&nbsp;As a corrective measure, Ministerial Decision No 169/2023 has been put into effect, introdu-cing the Reconstitution of the Board of Directors for the Fund. An investment strategy for the fund is also set to roll out.Illegal connections&nbsp;A revelation that has raised eyebrows is the multitude of unauthorised electricity and water connections from mosques, which have been traced back to private residences of citizens.&nbsp;This left MERA to foot bills for these illegal connections. As a remedial step, immediate action has been initiated. Individuals benefitting from these unauthorised connections are now being back-charged for the services they unfairly availed.Overstepping regulation&nbsp;The SAI report also pointed out regulatory breaches where some mosques, built on land owned by other government bodies or private citizens, had their electricity costs covered by MERA, flouting the Regulation of Masjid Mosques and Jami Mosque. Additionally, amenities linked to mosques, like residential quarters or shops, failed to have separate utility meters – another oversight against the established norms. As a resolution, involved parties are being billed for the utilities, and efforts are underway to rectify the identified anomalies.Exorbitant utility bills&nbsp;Another alarming discovery by SAI has been the unusually high utility bills of several mosques, especially in the governorates of Dhofar, North Sharqiyah and So-uth Sharqiyah. Some mosques’ monthly electricity bills were over RO2,000, while water bills in certain mosques in South Sharqiyah touched RO500 in violation of&nbsp; Ministry of Finance guidelines.&nbsp;Investment delays&nbsp;Another snag in the process was MERA’s failure to invest a mandatory 20% of its total funds allocated to electricity and water. This investment was envisioned to cover utilities expenses of mosques. In response to this lapse, the funds are now scheduled for investment, following a recent ministerial decision.Continue ReadingContinue ReadingContinue Reading© 2021 Apex Press and Publishing. All Rights Reserved. Powered by Mesdac

SubscribeE-paperMuscat – State Audit Institution’s (SAI) annual report for 2022 has highlighted financial and administrative irregularities relating to electricity and water bills of mosques.&nbsp;Analysing and auditing electr-icity and water bills and dues of mosques under the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs (MERA), SAI found unauthorised connections, breaches in regulations and escalating utility costs.&nbsp;SAI’s annual report offers a comprehensive insight into discrepancies in financial and administrative declarations of government sector departments. The report...

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Oman's audit body reveals irregularities in mosque utility bills

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