More than $3.1 million in payment vouchers and supporting documents could not be verified during an audit of the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Protection, the Auditor‑General’s 2024 report tabled in Parliament last week has found. Auditors were unable to obtain vouchers worth $3,119,090 for verification, leaving the accuracy and completeness of those transactions unresolved.
The missing documents relate to several social assistance programs, the report says, including bus fare assistance, disability allowance and support for rural pregnant mothers. The largest unverified amounts flagged under bus fare payments were recorded as $1,000,000, $800,000 and $800,000, while $479,440 was cited for disability allowance. The Auditor‑General warned that without payment and journal vouchers the audit could not establish whether the amounts had been properly recorded or disbursed.
The report places responsibility for proper safekeeping and maintenance of accounting records squarely on the ministry’s senior accounts officer and recommended urgent strengthening of records management systems. Auditors urged the ministry to introduce better tracking of documents and to keep clear records of any documents dispatched from the ministry so that future audits can trace transactions end‑to‑end.
In its formal response, the ministry said it had accepted the recommendations and would take steps to address the shortcomings. “Recommendations well received. The majority of the missing vouchers cannot be confirmed as having been requested or dispatched to FICAC for investigation, as there is no documented evidence available to support this,” the ministry stated, adding it would implement measures to improve documentation and ensure records are properly maintained for future audits and tracking purposes.
The findings raise fresh concerns about accountability in the administration of social assistance programs intended for vulnerable Fijians. Bus fare assistance, disability payments and maternal support are small‑scale, targeted programs but the audit’s inability to verify millions of dollars of transactions underscores systemic record‑keeping weaknesses that can put both funds and beneficiaries at risk.
This report is the latest in a series of Auditor‑General disclosures that have highlighted weaknesses across government financial management and recovery processes. By exposing gaps in basic document retention and tracking, the auditors have pushed the ministry toward reforms that officials say will be enacted, but the report leaves unanswered questions about whether missing records reflect administrative failures alone or require further investigation by authorities such as the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption.
Parliamentarians and public finance watchdogs will be watching implementation closely: better file controls and an auditable trail are likely to be key benchmarks to restore confidence that social assistance funds reach their intended recipients and are being administered transparently.
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