Social Insurance hid retirees’ files in turn for bribes in Syria’s Hama
HAMA, Syria (North Press) – As a result of losing his salary file in the Social Insurance Directorate building, the 72-year-old retiree Hayel al-Jarjomi (pseudonym) in the city of Hama, central Syria, received his pension six months after he completed the retirement documents.
Government retirees in Hama are complaining about losing their files, which include documents of the pension, and that causes them a delay in receiving the monthly pension.
Those retirees accuse the employees of the Social Insurance Directorate of hiding the files in turn for making bribes.
Meanwhile, Shadi al-Asta, a pseudonym for an employee in the directorate, revealed that many of his colleagues “receive bribes from auditors” as they do not work without being paid bribes.
“Some employees hid the files aiming at making bribes from auditors. After being paid, they show the files,” the government employee said.
Al-Jarjomi told North Press that he paid a bribe to an employee in order to find him his file that has been lost for months.
Moreover, some retirees are complaining about being required to bring some documents every three months in order to receive their pensions which cause them sufferings in light of their old ages.
The Social Insurance Directorate demands the retirees to renew some documents including family statement and residence card in order to make sure that they are still alive and did not travel abroad, where they suspend the wages of those who are abroad.
“Managing the affairs of the retirees’ salaries is on the upper floors of the building. When you go up there, you see old people lying on the stairs and panting before reaching the third and fourth floor, especially since managing documents must be carried out by the person of the file,” according to al-Jarjomi.
The building, which is in al-Alamin Street in Hama, does not have elevators, generators, batteries for operating LEDs, and the offices and stairs are dark without lighting and old, as they have not been renovated for decades.
Additionally, there are not laptops in the offices to register the retirees’ data.
The government employee said that they have demanded improving the building dozens times, but “all were in vain.”
The 70-year-old Jalal al-Zoza (pseudonym), a resident from Hama, said that he went to receive his wife’s pension where they demanded him to visit the Social Insurance Building, and they requested a newly issued registration document.
He pointed out that he worked to obtain a registration document “but an employee of the Social Insurance asked for my wife to come in person.”
Al-Zoza informed the employee that his wife suffers from diseases and is unable to attend, cannot stand and go up the upper floors, so “he asked me in a tactless manner to make a power of attorney in court and bring it in order to accept the registration document.”
The old man complained about what he described as “bad treatment of the elderly in the directorate in light of lack of transparent and effective government control over corruption.”