ATS Chairman Riyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says an investigation of the highest order is required because more than $5 million of ATS staff money is today unaccounted for.
Sayed-Khaiyum says the ATS Employees Trust has received a total of $5.78 million as dividends to be distributed for its members, which are employees of ATS, since 2005.
He says it was only after ATS clarified the union claims about lack of dividends since 2005 did the whole country know that something very fishy was going on at ATS Employees Trust.
Riyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says last Friday ATS Employees Trust Secretary Vili Finau categorically told the media that the only dividend the Employees Trust had received for its beneficiaries was around $556,000 received in 2016.
The ATS Chairman says ATS denies this and they are still adamant that more than $5.7 million in dividends has been received by ATS Employees Trust on behalf of the staff beneficiaries since 2005.
Sayed-Khaiyum says the question remains, if only around $500,000 was received by ATS Employees Trust in 2016, what’s happened to the remaining $5.2 million that was given to the Trust for the staff beneficiaries of ATS since 2005
He says the continued politicisation of the ATS issue must not distract us from seeking public accountability.
Sayed-Khaiyum says these dividends were for the workers who were ironically marching on Saturday in protest of better conditions and pay.
Riyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says it’s shocking that even after not being able to account for such a large sum of money, ATSET Secretary Vili Finau and Federated Airlines Staff Association National Secretary Vilikesa Naulumatua are sweeping this missing $5.2 million issue under the carpet and are refusing to comment further on this.
He says the ATS board will be seeking legal opinion on the possibility of reporting this matter to FICAC, the police and calling for a national inquiry through parliament.
Sayed-Khaiyum says in the meantime there is nothing stopping the workers who are the beneficiaries of the Employees Trust from immediately demanding for a police inquiry into this most scandalous of affairs and put to task their officials and political supporters in order to find out what happened to their $5.2 million.
He says the workers must rightfully demand what is theirs.
ATS Employees Trust Secretary Vili Finau says they have nothing to hide however the details on how much money has been paid to the beneficiaries is in their office which is in the ATS compound. He says they cannot access those details at this stage as they cannot enter the premises.
When asked by Fijivillage to confirm the details on the $5.7 million dividends and the sharing of the money amongst the staff who are beneficiaries, Finau says he cannot give any details on this.
