The Barbados Police Service (BPS) has been called in to help retrieve millions of dollars owed to the Government by persons who dishonestly obtained money intended for pensioners.This was revealed in Government’s response to the latest Auditor General Report, which disclosed that additional efforts were being made to recoup more than $3 million. Just over $650 000 has been recovered so far.In his 2021 report, Auditor General Leigh Trotman revealed that $3.9 million had been paid out to 34 pensioners who had died.“A review of the pension payroll revealed that payments totaling $3.9 million were being made in the names of deceased persons; in some instances these payments were being made for over 10 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,” the Auditor General noted.
