Lome – A report by Togo’s chief auditor showing irregularities in the use of Covid-19 funds is stirring indignation in the West African country.
Released in late January, the 86-page document made headlines this week and has been widely discussed on social media, with several opposition figures calling for justice to be served.
The comptroller and auditor general examined a government fund set up to finance the response after the nation detected its first coronavirus case in March 2020.
More than 108.2 billion CFA francs (about $177.4 million) were spent in 2020 alone according to the report, and “certain payments… were made on expenses that were not priority or that didn’t have a direct link with the measures being put in place to respond to the Covid-19 outbreak.”
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The fund had received support from international partners including the European Union, the IMF and the World Bank.
The report also underlined that the eligibility criteria to receive government support was not always respected.
Another finding causing outrage is the purchase of 31 500 tons of rice by the ministry of commerce with no trace of an order being placed.
The report found no “order letter” or “any other document justifying the government’s participation in this purchase of rice”.
The government has not yet commented on the report.
“At a time when Covid-19 and inflation have forced Togolese people to be careful with their spending, it is intolerable that others profit from the situation and get richer,” said Gerry Taama, a member of the opposition NET party.
He called on President Faure Gnassingbe to take action.
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Gnassingbe came to power in 2005 after the death of his father, General Gnassingbe Eyadema, who had ruled Togo for 38 years.
The comptroller and auditor general has done “good work” Abass Kaboua, a member of the centrist MRC party, told a local radio station.
The 31,500 tons of rice “were ordered by a minister” who “will have to appear in front of the National Assembly when they resume in March,” he added.
“We cannot continue to impoverish the Togolese people, spending taxpayers’ money, as if this fund belonged to those in charge of managing it,” said Nathaniel Olympio from the opposition Party of the Togolese.
“Too many people are profiting behind our backs — enough,” he said.
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Source: AFP
Picture: Pixabay
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