Shania Shayal Prasad 
Assistant Auditor-General Moshin Ali [Source: Parliament of the Republic of Fiji/ Facebook]
The Office of the Auditor-General is urging the Agricultural Marketing Authority to improve its financial practices, with a strong call for structural reform and greater professionalism across the organization.
The push comes after years of financial statements from AMA receiving disclaimer opinions due to poor record-keeping, missing documentation, and unresolved balances.
Appearing before the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Assistant Auditor-General Moshin Ali states that the recurring audit issues have severely undermined confidence in AMA’s ability to manage public funds.
[Source: Parliament of the Republic of Fiji/ Facebook]
Ali says a key recommendation was the routine preparation and board-level review of monthly management accounts, which will support better transparency and continuity, particularly in the event of staff turnover or leadership changes.
“To keep all the supporting documents readily available, because we have to really have that reconciliation from the 2022 accounts, when a disclaimer was issued, and if the written opinion is going to go to a qualified opinion, then there has to be a reconciliation to see on what basis has those opinions changed or is going to change.”
Ali also highlights the importance of leveraging AMA’s investment in accounting software to ensure reconciliations and financial records are up-to-date and properly maintained.
He adds without consistent use of such systems, oversight bodies face challenges in verifying the integrity of financial data.
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