President calls for audit into COVID-19 cash grant distribution

President Irfaan Ali has called for an audit into the distribution of the COVID-19 cash grant to ensure that all households across the country benefit.

“The AG [Auditor General] will go back house-to-house to ensure that the houses match the payments that were made and the second tier that will include checking on the pink slip applicants to confirm the additional families in the home,” he said.

The President said while he has not received any formal reports of persons not receiving the cash grant, he is aware of concerns raised on the subject. As such, he said the Office of the Auditor General has been asked to confirm that the $25,000 has been properly disbursed.

While he has not received any formal reports on the matter, President Ali made this call in response to concerns raised that some citizens have not been benefiting.

The Ministries of Finance and Human Services and Social Security have been tasked to work along with the Auditor General. President Ali was speaking on the sidelines of an event hosted at State House.

The President explained that a two-tiered system has been introduced to ensure greater transparency. During that process, households that were missed can also contact the team.

Officials have also been tasked with publishing phone numbers to allow families to contact them if their homes were missed.

The Government started the distribution of the $25,000 per family COVID-19 relief cash grant in September. (Modified from the DPI)