
PARAMARIBO - Social Affairs and Housing (Sozavo) Minister Diana Pokie recently made it clear that she...

is dissatisfied with the fact that the ministry has reported 27 possible fraud cases to the police but that the police still have not taken any action. “There are still no results in the investigation. We must have a serious talk with my colleague at the Ministry of Justice,” said Minister Pokie. Meanwhile the Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing has pressed charges in response to the irregularities that were detected within Sozavo after the new minister came into office. The then director at the ministry has already been fired because of these irregularities. The quick scan that was carried out at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing also revealed that multiple employees with a lower rank were unjustly promoted to a higher rank. The former Minister of Social Affairs, Ines Pané, who is currently a legislator claimed that she is unaware of these promotions. “We know what is happening at the ministry. We will take measures where things went sideways,” said Minister Pokie who added that the department of her ministry that is in charge of allocating money to the needy operated independently for years and that its operations were not supervised optimally. Minister Pokie explained that the ministry will therefore restore the watchdog mechanisms to keep track of everything. The Central Audit Department (CLAD) has already been asked for assistance.

