Auditors say that spending of up to 25bn Leones ($5.7m) was not justified with relevant documents such as receipts and invoices.
An audit in Sierra Leone has revealed that a sum
of $5.7 million, which was part of state Ebola funds, has not been
properly accounted for.
Auditors say that spending of up to 25bn Leones ($5.7m) was not justified with relevant documents such as receipts and invoices.
Sierra
Leone's national audit service, which prepared the report, said that
the health ministry showed "complete disregard" for the law in its
disbursement of the funds.
The report adds that the mismanagement of the funds hampered the country’s fight against Ebola.
“Monies
that have been set aside for the purpose of combating the Ebola
outbreak may have been used for unintended purposes, thereby slowing the
government's response to eradicate the virus,” the report said.
"There
continue to be lapses in the financial management system in Sierra
Leone and these have ultimately resulted in the loss of funds and a
reduction in the quality of service delivery in the health sector,” it adds.
The
audit team also stated that large gaps in the serial numbers listed for
health workers suggests that even money meant for workers’ hazard
payments might have been misappropriated.
Payment lists for staff were also said to contain names of thousands of ghost workers but have now been cleaned up.
The
25bn Leones not properly accounted for amounts to 33% of the 84bn
Leones paid out by the health ministry between the beginning of the
outbreak in Sierra Leone in May 2014, and 31 October 2014.
The
country’s government has however pledged a full investigation into the
incident and has assured that “those who are found guilty of misusing
Ebola funds will face the full force of the law.”
Sierra
Leone is one of the worst hit by the current Ebola epidemic and has
recorded 3,363 deaths and 10,987 cases of the disease.
