The Auditor-General found three cases where applicants who were working and living on Vanua Levu were allocated lots in Tacirua by the Housing Authority.
The report, Housing Authority – Special Investigation on Allotment of Lots and Tender Process, that was tabled in Parliament on Monday says the selection of these customers is questionable. “The authority did not perform due diligence on the background of the customers to determine whether these customers were genuinely in need of housing.
“The authority indicated that Conflict of Interest Declaration form has been implemented where staff members are required to declare any perceived or potential conflict of interest.
“Human Resource Department now also keeps a register for this declaration. In addition, Policy Register will have the record of all the policies and procedures the authority is currently using.
“The authority also stated that assurance review for lot allocation will now be part of the audit scope. Furthermore, the governance at board level is being heightened and proposed changes are made to the board sub-committees to address any conflict of interest.
“Suspected cases will be discussed and referred to relevant authorities for further action including FICAC.”
