Where’s $5.78M? PM to ATSET
Receipts show that millions were paid out to the workers’ trust
Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama yesterday asked Air Terminal Services Employees Trust (ATSET): “Where is the $5.78 million” that was paid as dividends? “Where is the money?” he reiterated. He was responding to a claim by a trustee, Malakai Finau, that workers had not received any dividend from 2007 to 2015.
Receipts, sighted by the Fiji Sun, showed the money was paid to ATSET.
Mr Bainimarama said it was a big amount
and ATSET must be transparent and explain what happened to the money.
“They (ATSET members) need to find out where all this money that they have been given is going to. They were given $5.7million,” he said. “They don’t seem to know, but who knows? Because it’s been given to them over the last few years. Except for 2012 when they had to pay for the accident.
“Otherwise, every other year they have been paid money and it’s going into somebody’s pocket.”
Mr Bainimarama said that workers needed to know what had happened to their funds.
“They should find out where that money’s gone and whether they should be part of it. Maybe that will help those who are unemployed because of this strike.”
ATS management had issued a statement that ATSET had received $5.78 million as dividends. Mr Finau invited Mr Bainimarama to meet with the staff who he said ‘had the truth’ on their side.
He said Mr Bainimarama could come and sit down with them and they would show him where all that money has gone to.”