LKAN 1/2026 REVEALS 273 NEW ISSUES AT FEDERAL AND STATE LEVELS – AUDITOR-GENERAL

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 23 (Bernama) -- The 1/2026 Auditor-General’s Report (LKAN), tabled in the Dewan Rakyat today, identified 273 new issues concerning financial management and governance at both federal and state levels, said Auditor-General Datuk Seri Wan Suraya Wan Mohd Radzi.

She said the report, presented with the consent of the King, spans 15 volumes and covers the 2024 Federal Agencies’ Financial Statements, activities of federal ministries, departments and statutory bodies, as well as state ministries, departments, agencies and state-owned company management.

Wan Suraya added that all issues are accessible on the Auditor General’s Dashboard (AGD), allowing continuous monitoring and follow-up by relevant federal and state authorities.

“Between 2024 and December 2025, the AGD system has facilitated government recoveries and repayments totaling RM316.68 million.

“Of this, RM221.52 million came from federal agencies, including penalty claims, outstanding rents, land leases, and duty and tax collections,” she said in a statement today.

Commenting on the financial statements, Wan Suraya said that as of Jan 9, 143 of 145 statements had been submitted and certified. Of these, 128 received the Auditor-General’s Certificate with an unqualified opinion, while 15 received a modified opinion.

She highlighted that this year’s LKAN audit focused on serious irregularities in revenue collection and irregular expenditures at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, arising from cooperation agreements executed without Finance Minister approval, in violation of the university’s constitutional provisions.

“These serious irregularities were referred to the First Committee on Serious Irregularities 2026 on Feb 6, under the Auditor-General’s expanded powers under subsection 9(4) of the Audit Act 1957, enabling recommendations to address irregularities in accounting and public fund management,” she said.

Wan Suraya added that amendments to the Audit Act 1957 have also expanded the National Audit Department’s authority to audit other entities, including companies with public interest, with 1,856 bodies gazetted for audit under the “Follow The Public Money Audit” approach.

Audits via the e-SelfAudit System revealed companies operating outside their founding objectives, failing to pay dividends despite profits, or facing ongoing operational challenges even with government financial support.

“LKAN 1/2026 also covers performance audits of high-impact programmes, including the Research, Development, Commercialisation and Innovation Programme, and expenditure on the MyDigital ID Development Project, alongside audits of federal and state ministries, departments, and agencies,” she said.

She added that the public can access the federal-level LKAN 1/2026 via the National Audit Department’s website at https://lkan.audit.gov.my starting from 10 am today.

-- BERNAMA