Audit finds Higher Education spent MVR 1.1 million on an app that was never developed

The Auditor General’s Office (AGO) has revealed that more than MVR 1.1 million was spent on developing a virtual office application for the Ministry of Higher Education and its subordinate agencies, an application that was never developed and remains non-functional.

According to the audit report, the project was awarded to a private company in 2021, but the work repeatedly stalled. The deadline was extended 12 times between August 7, 2021 and June 27, 2022, followed by an additional 12-month extension.  

Despite these extensions, the audit found that none of the 12 modules required under the agreement had been completed as of the final deadline on October 23, 2022.

From 2021 to 2023, a total of MVR 1,181,763 was paid for the software development project. However, the AGO noted that the Ministry failed to maintain essential documentation, including progress reports, work-tracking logs, developer timesheets and technical deliverables, a violation of Section 6.01(c)(6) of the Public Finance Regulation.

The AGO has instructed the Minister of Higher Education to investigate the matter and take action against officials who neglected their responsibilities. The report further recommends that the government recover losses in cases where contracted work remains incomplete, and take action against negligent contractors, in line with Sections 6.24, 17.01 and 17.03 of the Public Finance Regulation.