The 2020 audit report of the former Ministry of Communication, Science and Technology has revealed over USD10 million worth of assets included in the asset registry of the ministry were unverified.
As per the report signed by Auditor General Hussain Niyazi, the communication ministry had failed to include a large number of Microsoft licenses acquired by the National Centre for Information Technology (NCIT) in the asset registry of the ministry. The report also revealed the price or value of several items included in the asset registry were missing.
Furthermore, the audit report revealed the legitimacy of over USD10 million worth of assets included in the asset registry of 2020 is unverified. The report also noted the ministry had failed to comply with the Public Finance Regulations which mandates state institutions to conduct a count of all registered assets at least once per year in accordance to a procedure or policy set by the financial head of the institution.
Ministry of Communication, Science and Technology was dissolved on May 5, 2021, with its mandate transferred to the newly formed Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Technology. The ministry was dissolved shortly after Mohamed Maleeh Jamal was removed as the minister following a no-confidence motion at the Parliament of the Maldives.