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K27bn was stolen from MoH - Auditor General

K27bn was stolen from MoH - Auditor General
Written by Chibaula Silwamba and Ernest Chanda
Saturday, May 30, 2009 3:49:25 PM

AUDITOR General Anna Chifungula yesterday revealed that preliminary investigations at the Ministry of Health have indicated that K27 billion was stolen and there is a possibility that more money might have been stolen by civil servants. And Secretary to the Cabinet Dr Joshua Kanganja has revealed that the government has sent 32 workers from the Ministry of Health on forced leave.

In an interview in Lusaka, Chifungula said the amounts of money stolen from the Ministry of Health were much higher than the initially reported K10 billion.

"Well, for us we have found that K27 billion was stolen," Chifungula said.

Asked if there was a possibility that the money stolen was more than what the investigations had so far revealed, Chifungula responded: "Yes, there are possibilities that the amount might be higher than that. There are some other figures that are still...you know the investigation is still going on. So the ones that have been confirmed is K27 billion."

And Dr Kanganja said 32 workers from the Ministry of Health had been sent on forced leave.

Dr Kanganja said the affected workers would be liable for prosecution if investigations proved that they had abused public funds.

"I have sent 32 people from the Ministry of Health on forced leave in line with the revelations by the Anti Corruption Commission a few weeks ago and if they are found wanting, then they will be liable for prosecution," Dr Kanganja.

The ACC unearthed a corruption scam in which over K10 billion government funds were suspected to have been corruptly obtained from the Ministry of Health.

The commission is investigating Henry Kapoko, a former human resource manager in the Ministry of Health, in connection with the alleged corruption, theft and fraud.

The ACC has also seized and restricted property in excess of K3 billion allegedly belonging to Kapoko who now works at the Ministry of Local Government and Housing in the human resource department.

President Banda last Tuesday directed all civil servants and their agents who were currently under investigations in the K10 billion scam not to enter the Ministry of Health premises until further notice.

According to a statement issued by special assistant to the President for press and public relations Dickson Jere, President Banda received an interim report on the alleged financial scam at the Ministry of Health where billions of funds were alleged to have been misapplied or stolen by civil servants.

Last Wednesday, over 20 employees at Ministry of Health were suspended to pave way for investigations into the scam.

Operations at the ministry were temporarily suspended as law enforcement agents cordoned the area to ensure that people did not move evidence from the offices and some people from various departments were picked up for questioning at the police headquarters.

Following the revelations, the Swedish and Dutch governments suspended aid to Zambia's health sector.

The donors have withheld their aid pending the report of the forensic audit of the Ministry of Health.

The Swedish government, through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), was to release about K59 billion while the Dutch government contributes K92 billion annually to the country's health sector

And earlier when opening a sensitisation workshop meeting for permanent secretaries on decentralisation in Lusaka, Dr Kanganja disclosed that the Ministry of Local Government would soon present a Bill to Parliament on the re-introduction of the Local Government Commission.

"The government is keenly aware that unless adequate capacity is built and sustained in the councils, the fruit of decentralisation will not be realised. To this end, the process of developing a comprehensive capacity development programme which is aimed at improving the capacity of the councils as they prepare for full devotion already is underway," said Dr Kanganja.

"As part of this process, the Ministry of Local Government and Housing will soon be presenting a Bill to Parliament on the re-introduction of the Local Government Service Commission which should facilitate the recruitment and deployment of qualified personnel at senior management level in councils as part of the progression towards devolution."

Labels: ANNA CHIFUNGULA, AUDITOR GENERAL, JOSHUA KANGANJA, MINISTRY OF HEALTH

posted by MrK @ 2:52 PM