Dakar – A coronavirus pandemic relief fund in Senegal fell victim to alleged criminal offences and mismanagement, according to a public spending watchdog report seen by AFP on Tuesday.
President Macky Sall set up the fund, financed by the state and lenders, to strengthen the West African nation’s ailing health system during the crisis.
A watchdog audit of spending linked to the fund in 2020 and 2021 found that different ministries used around $30 million for matters unrelated to Covid-19, out of a total of more than $1.1 billion.
It said a fraudulently inflated figure of around $4 million was used to buy and hand out rice to the poorest during lockdown, noting a lack of transparency in the purchases.
ALSO READ | Amnesty urges Senegal to tackle abuse in Koranic schools
The watchdog added that suppliers were paid in cash even though the rules stipulated that state spending must be carried out by cheque or bank or postal transfer.
An analysis of support payments to vulnerable households showed some people with the same names, identity card numbers and addresses claimed the benefit several times, the report said.
The watchdog asked the justice ministry to open legal proceedings against at least 10 people, including officials in the ministries involved in the management of the coronavirus relief fund.
Many officials in sub-Saharan Africa are suspected of embezzling or mismanaging public money set aside to fight the economic damage inflicted by the pandemic, including in South Africa, Cameroon and Guinea.
Follow African Insider on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Source: AFP
Picture: Twitter/@Macky_Sall
For more African news, visit Africaninsider.com
