Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Sarah Jane Lebrasse
Published on 2024-04-03 16:00:20
The Audit Office has looked into allegations of fraud in relation to the Transition Unemployment Benefit (TUB). This temporary unemployment benefit is paid to workers who have been laid off for a period not exceeding 12 months. The report indicates that there are cases of suspected fraud involving a hundred TUB payment requests that were made at the Labour Offices in Curepipe and Chemin-Grenier in September and October 2022. The exact amount involved has not yet been estimated by the ministry.
All files related to the suspected fraud cases have been sealed at the Labour Division of the Ministry of Labour. These cases have been reported to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) and are currently under investigation by the police.
According to initial analysis, the Accounting Officer did not establish an effective internal control and monitoring system against fraud and irregularities in the Labour Offices. The accountant should implement an appropriate internal control system and monitoring mechanism to ensure that discrepancies in TUB payments do not recur. The suspected fraud cases are still being investigated by the police and ICAC. As for the suspects, they have been transferred to other Labour Offices.
The Audit Office also noted a delay in the computerization of the Occupational Safety and Health Division of the Ministry of Labour. The computerization contract was awarded to a service provider on June 14, 2021, for around Rs 7.3 million, it specifies. The project’s objectives were to support and enhance the activities and processes involved in the different units, and to improve the operations of this division of Labour.
The project started on September 3, 2021, and was supposed to end on November 3, 2022. As of June 30, 2023, approximately Rs 1.7 million had been paid. In August 2023, about nine months after the scheduled completion date, the project was still not finished.
Read the original article(French) on Le Mauricien
