Two Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development officials in Yellowknife were fired last year after racking up big personal expenses on their corporate credit cards.

Together, they spent more than $45,000 before being caught by a random audit.

One official — reportedly a manager in the Indian and Inuit Services branch — used her credit card for personal expenses for two years before anyone noticed. A random audit during the summer of 2010 turned up the fraud.

The manager used the card to pay for a trip to Las Vegas, an online game and personal cable and phone bills.

According to the department, the other official went on an $8,000 spending spree over 10 months.

Officials say both people were fired, but won't identify them or what positions they held, saying it might breach the Treasury Board’s privacy policy.

Paula Harker, with Aboriginal Affairs in Yellowknife, said the department is taking a much closer look at employees spending as a result of the theft.

"Contracts and admin opens each and every credit card statement that comes in and they are spot-reviewed," she said.

A spokesperson in Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Duncan's office said the minister has instructed the department to take all steps necessary to recover every dime of the missing money.

But so far, not one dime has been paid back.

"There are registered letters that are sent to employees and, without response, the matters have now been sent over to the department of justice for followup," said Harker.

That means the matter could end up in court.

A second Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development employee was fired last year for going on a shopping spree with department credit cards. (iStockphoto)

The department says that at around the same time, another Aboriginal Affairs employee in Ontario tallied up more than $12,000 in personal expenses. The employee was disciplined and has left the department.

All of that money has been recovered.