The Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission plans to charge three trad­ers in the Northern Division for offences related to the Homes CARE initiative.

Chief executive officer Joel Abraham yesterday said the FC­CC’s legal team were preparing charges to file in court.

As per the findings of the FCCC investigations, the three traders are to be charged for possible breaches under the Fijian Compe­tition and Consumer Commission Act 2010.

“The joint investigation with the Consumer Council of Fiji has found a number of traders taking advantage of the current government assistance which has to date assisted more than 56,000 Fijians,” Mr Abraham said.

“In the Northern Division, we’ve confirmed that we are fil­ing charges against three traders, one of whom has committed price disparity.”

Last week, the FCCC charged four traders in the Western Divi­sion for similar issues.

In light of the findings, perma­nent Secretary for the Ministry of Social Welfare Josefa Koroi­vueta is urging the general public to be honest.

“With hefty fines for any fraudu­lent activities under the program. Anyone found to have breached the requirements of the Homes CARE initiative can face up to $20 000 in fines and up to 10 years imprisonment,” Mr Koroivueta said.

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