Theft of Public Funds

Manawatu Times, Volume 69, Issue 220, 16 September 1944, Page 5

Theft of Public Funds

FIVE SERIOUS CASES REPORTED WELLINGTON, Sept. 15. Five serious cases of misappropriation of public moneys by departmental officers occurred during the year and the person involved in each case was a senior accounting officer, states the annual report of the Controller and Auditor-General fo’ the year ended March 31 last, presented to Parliament. The total sum stolen in the five cases, in three of which forgery or falsification of documents was resorted to in order to conceal the thefts, was £1172. In addition to these five cases there were seven other cases of theft by public servants involving £6B. The Teport adds that five misappropriations by temporary clerks in pay offices of the Army Department also occurred. These misappropriations amounted to £1417 and in three of them forgery or falsification of records was in evidence. The number of cases in which recipients of pensions, sustenance, age and other benefits obtained payment in excess of scale rates by failing to disclose material particulars of their circumstances to the Social Security De partment again showed a substantial reduction when compared with the previous year. The number of cases reported during the past year to the Audit Office by the department was 211, against 551 the previous year.