The Public Accounts Committee report on the Immigration Department's affairs in 2006 highlights the need for a major review of the systems and put in place stringent measures to avoid exploitation of any loopholes that exist.
This recommendation comes as Immigration officers investigate a major human trafficking scam in Fiji involving frontline officials.
The Accounts Committee said the efforts by the department to identify and promptly remove illegal immigrants should be improved and strengthened if issues raised on the systems in place were to be avoided.
The committee said the laxity of the department to effectively carry out its role would result in the increase in the number of illegal immigrants and the possibility of scrupulous people exploiting and manipulating the system.
The committee also notes that in the 2006 Auditor General's report, a major concern in the Immigration Department was the bond money which had been deposited in the Department's Trust Account at Westpac Bank since 1982.
The Committee discovered that the current balance was approximately $10.5 million and the committee said it was disturbing to learn that since 1982, the fund at Westpac was non-interest bearing until July 2008 when it began to incur an interest rate of 0.015 percent and the reason for that was because the money was public funds and to comply with the Finance Ministry policy, it was supposed to be non-interest bearing.
However, the committee feels that the policy in not allowing interest on deposits on public funds, is illogical as the bank would be making money by lending from deposits of public funds.
The Accounts Committee has also raised concerns on the arrears in revenue which had consistently increased within the Immigration Department from 2004 to 2006.
The arrears comprised of dishonoured cheques, misappropriation of revenue, misplaced deposits and overpayment in the refund of bonds.
It notes that the department has since disciplined the officer responsible for the misappropriation by terminating his employment.
PAC recommends major review
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