France: “Toughening of Procedures For Algerian Pensioners Living Abroad”

The French authorities are moving toward enacting a new law that tightens control over the payment of pensioners abroad, led by Algerians, who have made a real headache to the French pension’s fund, where they alone represent 26 percent of pension fund payments abroad.

The physical examination of the beneficiary of the pension will be approved to verify that he is actually still alive, and that the life certificate that was sent to the French pension’s funds wil no longer be sufficient, according to a law proposal presented at the French National Assembly (Parliament).

According to a document of the French National Assembly dated March 24, 2020, of which ” Echorouk” received a copy and signed by 42 deputies, carried the phrase “a proposed law to improve the fight against fraud and forgery in French pension services abroad”, as in 2015 Algeria represented 26 percent of French pensions paid abroad excluding the European Union.

The document pointed out that in 2015, 815 thousand and 242 pension grants were poured to the Algerians, and stressed that the focus of this number of pension grants in Algeria is being called into question.

According to the proposed law, Algeria still reveals a very high rate of imbalances for the French Accounting Council, despite the weakness of the analysis tools.

The initiators of the initiative stated in the document that 85 percent of the retirement pensions are paid to 10 foreign countries, and in the absence of enough documents to verify the validity of the life certificate document before it reaches the relevant French services.

Thus, they argued, it has become necessary to establish a dimensional control of the life certificate for the beneficiaries of the retirement grants sent abroad.

The proposed law stipulates in its first article the adoption of a physical monitoring mechanism for people who receive French pensions abroad, and physical examination will be guaranteed by the fact that the beneficiary is still alive, by agents of the French consular network in the countries concerned, and the inspection will make sure about the authenticity of the life certificate presented to this effect.