Ministry carries out three inquiries
THE Ministry of Trade, Cooperatives, Small and Medium Enterprises and Communications carried out several investigations in 2023.
Providing feedback on the three major topics of concern — Walesi, EBay Shop and Grace Road — Minister Manoa Kamikamica highlighted the staff had worked with several partner ministries and agencies to conduct the investigations.
“For Walesi, given that the review is on foot, I am not in a position to provide further information other than to state that Government is seriously looking into the way public funds were spent,” he said.
Mr Kamikamica said this was vital, especially given the significant investments made into the platform, the governance framework and to ensure the sustainability of the Digital Terrestrial TV program.
“EBay Shop is one of the online scams and fraudulent ‘get rich quick’ schemes that has deprived people of their hard-earned money. The rise in technology and electronic commerce is still relatively new in Fiji and is not fully regulated.
“Mobile wallets are now becoming an increasingly popular tool for cashless payments. To eradicate and reduce victims, we have established a taskforce to strengthen coordination with relevant stakeholders and advocate against online fraudulent activities through respective mediums.
“In terms of the EBay Shop investigation, we know that the investigations are ongoing and are with the Fiji Police Force leading the investigations.
“It is understood that people have been taken in for questioning and we hope for an outcome soon, given that the EBay Shop online recruitment scam is of national interest, noting the millions of dollars have been lost by the public actively participating in the online scheme.”
As for Grace Road, Mr Kamikamica said the ministry had lined up with the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) to undertake this investigation.
“In light of their heavy workload on the OAG, there was some delay. Now the matter is before the courts, thus, we will let that process take its course.”