French Pension Funds Call Into Question Algerian Retirees’ Birth Certificates “EC12”

A French parliamentarian raised the issue of the presence of a large number of elderly Algerian retirees, who are over 100 years old, considering that this number is unacceptable and questioning the life certificates issued by the Algerian authorities, at a time when a report by the French Senate stated that the French pension and social protection funds do not trust In Algerian birth certificates with the reference “EC12”.

Josie Everard, a deputy in the French National Assembly (Parliament), addressed in writing a question to the Minister of Solidarity and Health, dated August 25, 2020, stating that there are fraudulent acts by Algerian retirees who have reached the age of one hundred years and over and their number is large (their number has not been determined) and who are still benefiting from French pensions.

According to the MP, this high number of Algerian retirees over the age of 100 years is likely to be caused by forged death certificates issued by the local Algerian authorities, adding that there are lingering questions about the pensions granted to the widows of the deceased beneficiaries who happened to be polygamous.

The deputy requested the Minister of Solidarity and Health to disclose the measures that the Ministry has taken or intends to undertake towards the rights holders of Algerian retirees over the age of 100 years, and the extent of this impact on the value of pensions poured from France into this country (Algeria).

According to the French parliamentarian, a report of the French Senate, issued in September 2019, had indicated the existence of major fraud in French pensions in several countries, including Algeria.

In the report, a copy of which was seen by “Echorouk”, the relevant French authorities are especially concerned about Algerian birth certificates issued for retirement beneficiaries bearing the EC12 reference, indicating that these documents were supposed to be stopped by Algeria since 2014, to replace them with new forms bearing a reference. “EC7”, but continued because local assemblies had stocks of them that were not consumed.

According to the report, the issuance of birth certificates with reference “EC12” is outside the scope of the beneficiary of retirement, as it was a decision by the local authorities, according to what was confirmed by the French consulates, to consume the existing stocks of the publications of birth certificates “EC12” before passing to the new form “EC7”.

Last July, the governing body for the supplementary retirement system of the French Old Age Insurance Fund announced new measures to verify the lives of elderly Algerian retirees, in cooperation with the Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, in which most of the pensions of Algerian retirees are poured from France, which will receive 9 euros for each file.

According to the same authority, the formula is based on the principle that the Agricultural Bank sends a mail to the pensioner asking him to personally apply to the bank’s counter within two months, accompanied by a number of documents such as a valid identity card, a civil status document (birth certificate), and a residence document

However, In the event that the concerned person does not come to the bank and provide the required documents from him, the pension payment will be stopped.

According to the same authority, the cost of one file is estimated at about 9 euros (8.9 euros), which is equivalent to 1700 dinars for the file by calculating the informal market exchange rate and 1250 dinars at the official price, which means that the Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development will receive about 9 euros for each file that it checks in the presence of its recipient at the bank window.