Public Accounts Committee Debates Clearing Guyana’s Six-Year Audit Backlog

Summary

Updated Sep 30, 2026

The Public Accounts Committee is considering proposals to combine several years of audit reports into fewer hearings to address a six-year backlog.Guyana Times +1
Auditor General Deodat Sharma said identified contractor overpayments were recovered or offset by completed work, and the Audit Office is increasing real-time checks.Kaieteur News
PAC Chairman Vishnu Panday questions whether merged hearings can provide proper oversight, despite support for speeding up the process.Guyana Times +1
The Audit Office is seeking a specialised oil and gas unit after an earlier funding request was rejected.Guyana Times

Automatically summarised from the coverage below.

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Coverage

Sep 27, 2026

All overpayments recovered or cleared by contractors, Auditor General reveals

Auditor General Deodat Sharma said all state overpayments to public sector contractors identified in past audits have now been recovered or offset by completed work, as he submitted Guyana’s 22nd annual public accounts report. He also said the Audit Office is shifting toward real-time checks on grants, pensions and major projects to catch irregularities faster as the national budget expands.

Sep 27, 2026

PAC clash erupts over audit backlog, spending and Auditor General’s extension

PAC members clashed over how to clear Guyana’s audit backlog, with the Opposition resisting plans to merge several years of reports into fewer hearings while the government said the move would save time and money. They also debated delays in major projects, requests for new audits, and the extension of Auditor General Deodat Sharma past retirement age, raising concerns about oversight and accountability.

Sep 26, 2026

Audit Office steps up efforts to strengthen capacity for oil & gas oversight

Guyana’s Audit Office is seeking to create a specialised oil and gas unit to better scrutinise the fast-growing sector, after an earlier funding request was rejected by the previous Public Accounts Committee. Auditor General Deodat Sharma said the office is still auditing agencies like the Natural Resource Fund, EPA and GRA while building technical capacity as the economy and national budget expand.

Sep 27, 2026

Govt makes proposal for more efficient use of time, resources at PAC

Guyana’s government plans to propose changes to Public Accounts Committee (PAC) work to clear a six-year backlog of audited public accounts and bring scrutiny up to date. APNU supports speeding up the process, while PAC Chairman Vishnu Panday of WIN doubts combining multiple years’ reports will allow proper oversight, though he will still hear the proposal.