Vietnam, Malaysia State audit agencies foster cooperation

Vietnamese Auditor General Ho Duc Phoc held talks with his Malaysian counterpart Madinal Binti Mohamad who is in Vietnam to attend the 14^th Assembly of the Asian Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (ASOSAI).

Vietnamese Auditor General Ho Duc Phoc holds talks with his Malaysian counterpart Madinal Binti Mohamad in Hanoi on September 17. (Photo: VNA)

Phoc said that over the past few years, the partnership between the two agencies has been fostered with various cooperation activities to share professional experience.

From 2005-2012, the State Audit of Vietnam (SAV) sent three delegations of senior leaders to Malaysia to learn about auditing standards and techniques, as well as information technology application in professional activities and personnel training.

Within the framework of the ASEAN Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (ASEANSAI), the National Audit Department of Malaysia supported the SAV in building, monitoring, and evaluating the implementation of the ASEANSAI strategic plan.

Each year, the department has helped to train SAV officials though its technical cooperation programme funded by the Malaysian Government.

From 2008, the SAV has sent 15 officials to auditing courses in Malaysia.

Phoc spoke highly of the Malaysian National Audit Department’s assistance in the past years, affirming that all officials trained in Malaysia have acquired helpful knowledge and shown strong returning performances, helping to enhance the efficiency of the SAV.

For her part, Madinah Binti Mohamad said that the National Audit Department of Malaysia boasts strength in training. Malaysia’s National Audit Academy was established in November 2005 and has organised one or two courses for international trainees each year since 2007, mostly in operational and information technology auditing.

Each year, Malaysia’s State audit agency conducts 150-200 audits on issues related to operational enforcement and efficiency, she said.

She said that looking forwards, the Malaysian National Audit Department will continue inviting the SAV to join the Malaysian technical cooperation programme on public auditing training.

Specifically, the two sides will exchange delegations to study experience in digitalising paper procedures, building training courses on environmental and IT auditing, and the training model of Malaysia.

As the role of ASOSAI Chair for the 2015-2018 period, the Malaysian Auditor General affirmed that Malaysia is willing to share experience with the SAV in the future when Vietnam takes charge for the 2018-2021 tenure – especially in connecting members and evaluating challenges and problems facing the region, as well as global development trends for state audits, and implementing the ASOSAI strategic plan for the 2016-2021 period./.

VNF/VNA