January 6, 2021
By: Alhaji S. Kondeh
The Anti-Corruption Commission has recovered the sum of Five Million Two Hundred and Sixteen Thousand Four Hundred Leones (Le 5,216,400) from some officials of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation. These officials were implicated in a procurement fraud of personal high-end gadgets, according to the ACC press release dated 4th January 2021.
According to the Auditor General Special Report on the use of the COVID19 funds 2020, the said amount was used to buy personal gadgets like blue tooth earphones and other accessories that have no relevance in the fight against the pandemic.
The audit report adds that these officials never followed proper procurement and documentary processes laid down by Public Finance Management Directives of the state.
According to the press release issued by the ACC, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Mr. Abdul Rahman Musa Fofanah who authorized the payment of the funds, was given 24 hours to refund to the state the said money or face the full force of the law.
Mr. Fofanah has now complied with the dictates of the Anti-Corruption Commission, A-Z News has gathered.
