THE Audit Office of Guyana on Friday submitted its 2025 Report to the Speaker of the National Assembly ahead of the September 30 deadline, marking another step in the country’s system of public financial oversight and accountability.
Auditor General Deodat Sharma formally handed over the report during a ceremony attended by members of the Audit Office, senior government officials and representatives of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
The report is expected to be formally tabled when the National Assembly resumes following its recess, after which it will be available for examination through the parliamentary-oversight process.
Sharma, who is presenting his 22nd report as Auditor General, said the Audit Office has expanded the scope of its work to keep pace with the significant growth in public expenditure.
He also pointed to an increase in the office’s staff complement and greater access to specialised training, strengthening its capacity to undertake audits across an expanding public sector.
The development comes as Guyana’s public expenditure and government programmes have expanded in recent years, increasing the demands placed on the country’s supreme audit institution.
Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, who represented the government at the handover, reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to transparency and accountability in the management of public resources.
Edghill also indicated that a proposal would be taken to Parliament to bring the review of the Public Accounts Committee up to date.
The PAC is constitutionally mandated to examine audited accounts contained in the auditor general’s reports and exercises general supervision over the functioning of the auditor general.
Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir, highlighted the constitutional changes that reshaped the manner in which the auditor general’s reports are submitted to Parliament.
Once tabled, the 2025 report will form part of the materials available to the PAC as it carries out its examination of public accounts and related audit findings.
The Audit Office has identified timely reporting, transparency, public accountability and the independence of its work among the key principles underpinning its mandate.
The submission of the 2025 report ahead of the statutory deadline also continues the recent practice of the auditor general presenting the annual report directly to the Speaker. The 2024 report, for example, was presented to Nadir on September 25, 2025.