The President of Malta George Vella, accompanied by the Secretary of the Presidency Ms Rosette Spiteri Cachia, this morning made his last official visit to the National Audit Office (NAO) as the term of this Presidency is coming to an end.

In a meeting with Auditor General Charles Deguara and the management of the NAO, President Vella remarked that since its establishment as a separate and independent Institution, this Office has continued to fulfil its Constitutional mandate in a spirit of the greatest diligence and discretion, always in the interest of the common good.

President Vella said that the NAO makes an important contribution to continue strengthening accountability and transparency in the use of public resources, and that through its professional work it continues to encourage and facilitate improvement in the quality of governance in our country.

While praising the valuable contribution of this Office through its regular detailed and informative reports, the President thanked all the staff for the work they perform with the utmost diligence and professionalism, which is of great value for our country. At the international level, the President noted with satisfaction the respect enjoyed abroad by the NAO during its work in international forums.

Auditor General Charles Deguara, while thanking the President for his continuous support for the work of this Office, emphasised that the management and all the staff of the NAO are fully committed to continue providing the best possible auditing service with the main aim of strengthening good governance in the public sector, in the best interest of all citizens.

During this visit, the NAO officially launched its new strategy for the next five years ‘Enhancing Audit Impact’. The Auditor General presented a copy of this document to President Vella while conveying his full appreciation to the internal team that worked hard, after extensive consultation with both internal and external stakeholders, to draft this comprehensive strategic plan for the years 2024 - 2028.

At the end of the visit, the President thanked the NAO staff for their continuous support over the years to the Malta Community Chest Fund. He also thanked them for the generous donation they presented to him today.