Pension Fraud: 559 Widows Linked to a Single Deceased Individual

In a startling revelation, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has uncovered that 559 beneficiaries of widow pensions have been registered under the name of a single deceased individual, sharing the same name and identification number. This finding came to light during an inspection by the PAC.

During a press conference held last Thursday – October 3, Reza Uteem, the chairman of the PAC, expressed the committee’s frustration in trying to obtain an explanation for this unusual occurrence, but efforts to do so have proven unsuccessful.

According to the PAC report, among the 559 beneficiaries, 545 have been registered as widows since December 15, 1992, while 14 others have been receiving benefits since August 1, 2002.

The committee emphasized the urgent need for a more stringent system to ensure that widow pensions are only disbursed to eligible beneficiaries.

To address this issue, the PAC has recommended the establishment of a mechanism that would enable the ministry to continuously verify the eligibility of these beneficiaries for widow pensions.

Source: Le Mauricien