The Fiji National Provident Fund’s process of conducting thorough due diligence on members’ applications for the COVID-19 assistance from their own accounts is said to be a reason for delays in members receiving their money.
The Fund stated this in a statement last night when it advised that the 2160 members who had applied for the COVID-19 phase two round five of the relief withdrawal scheme should have received their money by yesterday.
FNPF Acting CEO Viliame Vodonaivalu said the verification process involved contacting applying members’ employers to confirm their employment status.
He said this delayed the processing of those members’ applications.
“The Fund had to verify these members’ employment status due to contributions being paid to their accounts from December 2020 to March 2021,” Mr Vodonaivalu said.
“The verification process is important because it determines whether the member qualifies for the COVID-19 relief.”
As of yesterday, the Fund had paid out $475,200 to those members.
“The Fund will continue to conduct due diligence when processing applications to ensure that those who access this relief, genuinely need it.
“We encourage members to be honest when submitting their applications for COVID-19 relief.”
The Fund also noted that the first payment for phase two round five was disbursed through an early payment last week before the Easter weekend.
The next payment is scheduled for April 20.
The Fund has advised members who had applied for phase two but have still not been paid to contact FNPF.
