A Kenyan living in Australia finally received AUD 7,462.50 from the Unclaimed Financial Assets Authority (UFAA) being his share dividends, thanks to the intervention of the Commission.
Mr Andrew Lawrie lodged a complaint with the Commission alleging unresponsiveness in claiming his assets from UFAA. According to him, he sent an official application to the Authority in June 2019 for his UFAA held EABL shares dividends. Mr Lawrie is a Kenyan citizen and a current resident of Australia and could only seek the information from the Authority through email.
He sought information including confirmation of receipt of his application and whether getting his Australian Citizenship Certificate certified by a lawyer and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade was acceptable proof of his nationality and therefore acceptable for him to claim the assets.
However, the Authority on several occasions failed to advise accordingly and once the application was received and proof of citizenship accepted the Authority once again failed to keep him updated on the status of his application and consequent refund.
Following the intervention and oversight of the Commission by email and telephone calls to the Authority, the Commission was able to update the complainant on all the queries. Finally, in April 2021, his share dividends amounting to AUD 7462.50 were paid.
