Government has been paying millions of dollars in pension to some of its former workers even though they are dead – some for more than ten years.
This was discovered during an investigation by the Auditor General’s Office and has prompted a separate probe by the Accountant General, who is now seeking to recover the $3.9 million in payments made by the Treasury Department.
The overpayment of pensions was flagged by Auditor General Leigh E. Trotman in his report for 2021 and followed an audit of Government’s financial statements for the period ending March 31, 2021.
Trotman said a review of the Government’s pension payroll “revealed that payments totalling $3.9 million were being made in the names of deceased persons; in some instances these payments were being made for over ten years.
“These payments were in respect of 34 former pensioners. Information from the Registration Department confirmed that these former pensioners were deceased. The controls for the payment of pensions need to be reviewed and a stop order should be placed on any additional payments. Efforts should be made to recover the outstanding amounts,” he urged. (SC)
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