Over the past months, the State Audit Organisation has conducted a scrutiny targeting 416 mismanaged government projects, each costing more than 10 billion kip, according to the president of the organisation.
These state investment projects have a total cost of 58.8 trillion kip (around US$3.3 billion).
Thursday’s morning witnessed President of the State Audit Organisation Viengthavisone Thepphachanh reporting to the ongoing 4th Ordinary Session of the National Assembly about SAO’s examination of state investment projects which was based on the National Assembly’s 24th resolution.
Of the projects subject to the scrutiny of the State Audit Organisation, 280 projects have been completely audited and 136 projects, worth over 41.6 trillion kip, are yet to be inspected.
The organisation also audited 616 projects, worth 1.8 trillion kip, out of 2,850 projects (each costing less than 10 billion kip) listed for scrutiny by the National Assembly.
“As of today, we have audited 89% of the listed projects and these have a total investment cost of over 19 trillion kip. Some 2,370 projects with a total value of 47.7 trillion kip are yet to be audited,” said Mr Viengthavisone Thepphachanh.
SAO’s latest report suggests that 37 state investment projects with a cost of over 310 billion kip have been implemented without detailed designs.
“When these projects were being implemented, their designs were revised with the addition of more project activities, and finally they turned out to be more costly than when approved by the National Assembly,” Mr Viengthavisone Thepphachanh told the ongoing 4th Ordinary Session of the National Assembly.
“Some irrigation projects have improper designs, are costly but ineffective. As a result they have been suspended,” said SAO’s president.
Source: Lao News Agency