His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam yesterday consented to receive in audience Mr Hadi Poernomo, Chairman of the Audit Board of the Republic of Indonesia.

Present during the audience was the Auditor-General of Brunei Darussalam, Pengiran Haji Abdul Rahman bin Pengiran Haji Mat Salleh.

Also present were Dato Paduka Awang Haji Bahrin bin Abdullah, Acting Minister of Finance II; Dato Paduka Awang Haji Mohd Roselan bin Haji Mohd Daud, Permanent Secretary at the Prime Minister's Office; Dato Paduka Awang Haji Hisham bin Haji Mohd Hanifah, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Finance; and Handriyo Kusumo Priyo, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Brunei Darussalam.

The Chairman of the Audit Board of the Republic of Indonesia, Mr Hadi Poernomo, accompanied by a six-member delegation, is here on a three-day official working visit to the Auditor-General's Office of Brunei Darussalam from January 25 to 27.

The working visit between the two audit instituions aims to foster bilateral relations as well as to discuss matters pertaining to Asean Supreme Audit institutions (Aseansai). This is the first meeting between the heads of audit institutions since the inception of Aseansai in November 2011 on the sidelines of the Asean Summit in Bali. It was during that time that the Auditor-General of Brunei Darussalam was elected as the Vice-Chairman of Aseansai with the Chairman of the Audit Board of the Republic of Indonesia hosting the 1st Aseansai Assembly.

The Auditor-General's Office of Brunei Darussalam will be the host and chairman of the upcoming 2nd Aseansai Assembly in November 2013.

The meeting will discuss the Aseansai working plan 2012-2013 as well as matters to be raised during the upcoming Aseansai Committees' Meeting in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia in early February 2012 and the Aseansai informal meeting that will be held on the sidelines of the Asian Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (Asosai) conference in Jaipur, India at the end of February 2012. - Borneo Bulletin (27th January 2012)