CORRUPT PRISONS OFFICERS STEALING MAINTENANCE MONEY

CERTAIN corrupt prisons officers are collecting maintenance money from errant fathers and not sending it to the treasury.

The officers accept the funds from delinquent fathers imprisoned for repeated non-payment.

The official procedure is for the maintenance allowances to be paid to the treasury, which, in turn, will remit the funds to the relevant women.

The corruption in the system is denying mothers their deserved and court-approved allowances.

In one startling example, a matured prisons officer recently converted a significant sum of money to his own use.

After the relevant mother made repeated requests for payment she was told there was no record of the money being received.

She then provided receipts.

In this case, the money was due for several months and there were three children involved.

Upon investigation, it was discovered that an officer fraudulently utilised the money.

Instead of being charged with fraud or misbehaviour in public office, the prisons officer was reportedly given a deadline by his supervisors to reimburse the funds.

People in the know are outraged at the events and calling for the officer and his complicit bosses to face criminal charges.

They also demand that the chief prisons officer and inspector of prisons investigate the scam and bring the suspects to justice.

This and other similar cases have prompted calls for a revision of the system of paying maintenance allowance at prisons.

Experts in the system advocate for payments to be made at the treasury or another suitable public office.

They also want affected mothers to be able to make timely reports when the respective allowances are not remitted to the treasury.

“Where there is suspected fraud, someone should not have to wait three months to get justice,” a knowledgeable public official said.

“Women are being adversely affected in a system that is susceptible to fraud,” he stressed.

He called for the prisons authorities to remedy the issue, failing which said there would be a public outcry and campaign on the matter.

“A modern society should not treat its vulnerable women in this manner,” he said.