Car crash fraud
The MVA Fund has seen 66 cases of fraud over the past five years involving anything from false claims for deceased people to doctors lying about injuries.
A total of 66 fraud cases have been uncovered at the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (MVA Fund) amounting to more than N$1.5 million, involving medical practitioners, crash victims and beneficiaries of the deceased.
These cases stretch from 2010 until 2016 and are all linked to the claims process at the MVA Fund.
They involve claims for injuries (59), loss of income (three), loss of support (two), medical (one), and other benefits (one).
Most of these cases, 59, date back to 2011. Last year five cases were reported.
According to the MVA Fund's CEO Rosalia Martins-Hausiku, the injury grant fraud involved the submission of false information to benefit from the injury grant, medical reports indicating non-existent injuries and false statements with intent to claim from the Fund.
Martins-Hausiku says fraudulent claims related to the loss of income grant involved the submission of false statements with the intent to claim from the fund and an unlicensed driver who used another person's driving license with the intent to claim.
The loss of support grant related to fraud involved the submission of false information about the income of the deceased while the medical benefit related to fraud involving the submission of forged medical reports to benefit from both the medical and the injury grant.
According to Martins-Hausiku another type of fraud committed at the Fund involved the misappropriation of money that was erroneously paid into the account of a suspect.
“The suspects involved in the cases detected by the Fund range from beneficiaries of the deceased, persons involved in road crashes and sustaining injuries, people who at the time of the crash were driving the vehicle(s) as well as suspected medical practitioners in the instance of submission of forged medical reports to benefit from the injury.”
The total value of the recorded 66 cases detected and reported between 2010 and 2016 amounts to N$1.583 million.
“Some are under police investigation while others are before the courts,” said Martins-Hausiku.
She said the MVA Fund like any other entity is susceptible to fraud and corruption in the process of settling claims.
“The Fund therefore employs its fraud and corruption policy to deter fraudulent activities and all incidents of corruption and dishonesty and as such all allegations of fraud and corruption are investigated. Criminal charges are instituted against any person who commits/perpetuates fraud.”
The spokesperson of the Namibian police, Edwin Kanguatjivi said he was aware of these cases. “Fraud is fraud and people will try everything,” he said.
In 2007 MVA Fraud statistics revealed there was 30 criminal court cases, six arrests, one conviction, 21 cases under investigation, a dismissal of one staff member, one staff member resigning before being charged with fraud, while two temporary employees left the Fund pending fraud charges against them from prior places of employment.
The MVA Fund urges its employees, claimants, service providers and the public to report suspicious, corrupt and fraudulent transactions or activities to 081 155 0505 or email: [email protected] or alternatively to the police or Anti-Corruption Commission.
ELLANIE SMIT
These cases stretch from 2010 until 2016 and are all linked to the claims process at the MVA Fund.
They involve claims for injuries (59), loss of income (three), loss of support (two), medical (one), and other benefits (one).
Most of these cases, 59, date back to 2011. Last year five cases were reported.
According to the MVA Fund's CEO Rosalia Martins-Hausiku, the injury grant fraud involved the submission of false information to benefit from the injury grant, medical reports indicating non-existent injuries and false statements with intent to claim from the Fund.
Martins-Hausiku says fraudulent claims related to the loss of income grant involved the submission of false statements with the intent to claim from the fund and an unlicensed driver who used another person's driving license with the intent to claim.
The loss of support grant related to fraud involved the submission of false information about the income of the deceased while the medical benefit related to fraud involving the submission of forged medical reports to benefit from both the medical and the injury grant.
According to Martins-Hausiku another type of fraud committed at the Fund involved the misappropriation of money that was erroneously paid into the account of a suspect.
“The suspects involved in the cases detected by the Fund range from beneficiaries of the deceased, persons involved in road crashes and sustaining injuries, people who at the time of the crash were driving the vehicle(s) as well as suspected medical practitioners in the instance of submission of forged medical reports to benefit from the injury.”
The total value of the recorded 66 cases detected and reported between 2010 and 2016 amounts to N$1.583 million.
“Some are under police investigation while others are before the courts,” said Martins-Hausiku.
She said the MVA Fund like any other entity is susceptible to fraud and corruption in the process of settling claims.
“The Fund therefore employs its fraud and corruption policy to deter fraudulent activities and all incidents of corruption and dishonesty and as such all allegations of fraud and corruption are investigated. Criminal charges are instituted against any person who commits/perpetuates fraud.”
The spokesperson of the Namibian police, Edwin Kanguatjivi said he was aware of these cases. “Fraud is fraud and people will try everything,” he said.
In 2007 MVA Fraud statistics revealed there was 30 criminal court cases, six arrests, one conviction, 21 cases under investigation, a dismissal of one staff member, one staff member resigning before being charged with fraud, while two temporary employees left the Fund pending fraud charges against them from prior places of employment.
The MVA Fund urges its employees, claimants, service providers and the public to report suspicious, corrupt and fraudulent transactions or activities to 081 155 0505 or email: [email protected] or alternatively to the police or Anti-Corruption Commission.
ELLANIE SMIT
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