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8. AG Audits
This is a recent carefully-worded and fair AG Audit report
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/auditor-general-s-report/1985482.html
The local business community reported severe delays in govt-project payments in recent 2 years. The points highlighted by the AG audits appears to be in line with the root of the causes.
- Finance Officers withholding payment unless benefits are shared.
- Disbursement of payments to invoices with discrepancies or related-parties.
- Superiors who seek the inclusion of items in PO (amending original Purchase Orders) or replacement with inferior substitutes, without a proper diligence process.
- Ground-supervisors who blackmail vendors for verifying job-completion.
- Failure to consider generic products of better specifications at similiar or better prices, due to favouritism in tenders.
The problem involves public-infrastructure, maintenance services, hospitals and education sector. Some local listed companies who depend a significant portion of their income from govt-related projects, are now faced multiple month delays in payment or requests for give benefits to the black-sheeps in civil service.
A handful are facing cash crunches and massive losses due to project-financing, forcing them to either raise cash equities from shareholders in the next 12-months or risk becoming insolvent. Overnight, safe local public projects become toxic for these few listed companies.
To maintain a corruption-free image, Singapore will certainly take stringent actions against less-honest civil servants after the elections. There is no absolute urgency at this moment and exposing more of these ill-doers now, will create unfavourable sentiments among the electorate.
This is a recent carefully-worded and fair AG Audit report
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/auditor-general-s-report/1985482.html
In the report submitted by Auditor-General Willie Tan to President Tony Tan Keng Yam on Jul 1, four areas were highlighted for public sector entities to pay greater attention to:
- Administration of grants
- Tendering and management of revenue contracts
- Management of contract variations
- Related party transactions
The local business community reported severe delays in govt-project payments in recent 2 years. The points highlighted by the AG audits appears to be in line with the root of the causes.
- Finance Officers withholding payment unless benefits are shared.
- Disbursement of payments to invoices with discrepancies or related-parties.
- Superiors who seek the inclusion of items in PO (amending original Purchase Orders) or replacement with inferior substitutes, without a proper diligence process.
- Ground-supervisors who blackmail vendors for verifying job-completion.
- Failure to consider generic products of better specifications at similiar or better prices, due to favouritism in tenders.
The problem involves public-infrastructure, maintenance services, hospitals and education sector. Some local listed companies who depend a significant portion of their income from govt-related projects, are now faced multiple month delays in payment or requests for give benefits to the black-sheeps in civil service.
A handful are facing cash crunches and massive losses due to project-financing, forcing them to either raise cash equities from shareholders in the next 12-months or risk becoming insolvent. Overnight, safe local public projects become toxic for these few listed companies.
To maintain a corruption-free image, Singapore will certainly take stringent actions against less-honest civil servants after the elections. There is no absolute urgency at this moment and exposing more of these ill-doers now, will create unfavourable sentiments among the electorate.
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