The police have been called in to investigate a case involving missing funds from the Ministry of Employment, Productivity and Workplace Relations. Director of Finance, Praveen Nair, disclosed this information during a discussion on the review of the 2022 Audit Report on General Administration last week.
Although Nair did not specify the amount missing, he confirmed that the situation has also been reported to the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) for further inquiry. “We discovered this issue while altering our internal controls,” Nair explained.
Upon identifying the theft, the matter was promptly reported to the permanent secretary and subsequently referred to both the Fiji Police Force and FICAC. Currently, the Fiji Police Force is leading the investigation, and the Ministry is actively monitoring its progress.
In addition to financial discrepancies, Nair addressed payroll reconciliation processes, now conducted every two weeks and verified in the Ministry of Finance portal. “We have enhanced our control measures,” he stated, noting the inclusion of a Human Resources officer to oversee these reconciliations—an important step that was previously overlooked. “As a result, we have avoided issues such as salary overpayments, which were not flagged in the audits of prior financial years.”