$3m in social welfare records missing, audit finds

The Ministry of Women, Children and Social Protection could not produce payment records worth more than $3 million in 2024, an audit report revealed.

This raises serious questions about how public money meant for Fiji's most vulnerable people was being spent.

The Auditor-General's 2024 report, tabled in Parliament this month, found that payment vouchers and supporting documents for $3,119,090 were missing when auditors asked to verify the transactions.

The money covered three welfare programmes — $2.6 million for the Bus Fare Programme, $479,440 for the Disability Allowance, and $39,650 for the Food Allowance for Rural Pregnant Mothers.

Payment vouchers are official documents that show who was paid, how much, and why. Without them, auditors cannot confirm whether money actually reached intended recipients or was misused.

"The majority of the missing vouchers cannot be confirmed as having been requested or dispatched to FICAC for investigation, as there is no documented evidence available to support this," the ministry said in its response to the audit.

FICAC is Fiji's Independent Commission Against Corruption. The audit report said the ministry had no record of where the documents went.

The Auditor-General recommended the ministry strengthen its records management and keep a log of all documents sent out.

The ministry acknowledged the findings and said it would improve documentation and ensure records are properly maintained going forward.

The missing records come as the ministry works to digitise its social protection payment system, which currently serves more than 146,000 recipients across six programmes totalling $169.3 million annually.