The case involving missing funds from the Ministry of Employment, Productivity and Workplace Relations has been referred to the police for investigation. Praveen Nair, the Ministry’s director of finance, disclosed this information during a submission regarding the review of the 2022 Audit Report on General Administration last week. While Nair did not disclose the specific amount of missing cash, he indicated that the issue has also been sent to the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) for further investigation.
According to Nair, the discrepancy was discovered during a revamp of their internal controls. After identifying the theft, the Ministry promptly reported the incident to the permanent secretary and subsequently referred it to both the Fiji Police Force and FICAC. The Fiji Police Force began their investigation quickly, and the Ministry has been actively monitoring the situation.
Regarding payroll processes, Nair mentioned that reconciliations are now conducted every two weeks, with documentation signed and uploaded to the Ministry of Finance portal. He noted that there have been improvements in controls, including the involvement of a Human Resources officer to verify reconciliations, a step that was previously lacking. This enhancement aims to prevent issues such as overpayments in salaries, which had not been reported in prior financial audits.