The Social Welfare Department (SWD) today said it will continue to co-operate with the Independent Commission Against Corruption on its follow-up work on a fraud case concerning Traffic Accident Victims Assistance (TAVA).

The department noted that the ICAC has announced the completion of its investigation on the TAVA fraud case and the laying of charges against the concerned individuals.

Administered by the SWD, the TAVA Scheme provides speedy financial assistance to road traffic accident victims or the surviving dependents of deceased victims.

To guard against abuse and fraud, the department strictly verifies every application by seeking written confirmation from Police on whether a traffic accident is involved.

It liaises closely with the Hospital Authority and the Department of Health to ensure that the injuries sustained by the applicants are related to the traffic accidents concerned.

Furthermore, suspected cases are referred to enforcement agencies for investigations.

In addition, the SWD also verifies whether the applicants have made any claim for damages or compensation through other means for the same traffic accident.

It will also write to insurance companies timely to inform them of the disbursement of a payment, to avoid double compensation.

The SWD stressed that obtaining TAVA by deception is a criminal offence and offenders are liable upon conviction to imprisonment of up to 14 years.

The department will continue to monitor the scheme's implementation and urges anyone who has information about improper or illegal activities by TAVA applicants to report to the department or Police.