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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has opened an investigation into a report of an alleged fraud of $ 3 million involving a Nigerian company, Zenith Carex.
The Global Fund, an international mechanism for financing the health sector, raised the allegation of fraud of $ 3 million in the latest report released on March 9 by its Office of the Inspector General (OIG).
The global organization, which brings together the world’s largest financial donations for the prevention, treatment and care of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, blacklisted Zenith Carex in its report.
He accused the company of systematically inflating bills for the distribution of health products to warehouses and health facilities across Nigeria.
The company committed the alleged fraud between 2017 and 2019, a two-year period, according to the report.
EFCC confirms probe
The EFCC, Nigeria’s leading anti-corruption agency, confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that it has opened an investigation into the case.
He confirmed the ongoing investigation against Zenith Carex and others in his response to this newspaper’s Freedom of Information (FoI) request.
The demand for PREMIUM TIMES has been fueled by growing concerns over the lack of attention that anti-corruption agencies in Nigeria are giving to the Global Fund’s indictment against Nigerian companies over the years.
This is despite the reputational damage and possible loss of goodwill that the Nigerian business blacklist is capable of causing the country in the global space.
Assuring this log of its efforts to ensure justice is done in this matter, the EFCC wrote that it was investigating Zenith Limited for an alleged breach of conspiracy and breach of trust in relation to the program’s distribution contracts. drug / vaccine supply chain in all countries. States of the Federation.
The letter signed by the head of the agency’s FoI office, Elizabeth Ayodele, wrote that the commission had also met with representatives of the Global Fund on this matter.
“You will be interested to know that the investigation has reached an advanced stage,” the letter reads in part, adding that a zoom meeting has even taken place with representatives of the Global Fund to enable them to assist our office on the allegations against the suspects. “
Zenith Carex contacted
Contacted by PREMIUM TIMES in March, a company representative said the company was aware of the OIG report. The contact, however, said the company would not want to comment publicly on the case as their lawyers were exploring the best possible legal option.
But, Zenith Carex denied the allegations in a Punch newspaper report on March 11, three days after the OIG report was released.
The company said the EFCC was aware of developments and had invited some of the parties involved. He also called on the federal government to intervene in this matter.
Faced with the new revelation from the EFCC to PREMIUM and invited to comment again on Friday, a Zenith Carex official whose phone number is on the firm’s website declined to speak.
READ ALSO: Global Fund Charges and Blacklists Nigerian Company for Suspected $ 3 Million Fraud
The official, whom Truecaller identified as Adelana Olamilekan, told our reporter: “The commission had already invited some of our staff for questioning on this matter.
“So I can’t say more because the case is still under investigation. “
Background
The Global Fund is a funding mechanism that brings together the world’s largest financial donations for the prevention, treatment and care of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
Given that Nigeria has the world’s highest malaria burden (one in four globally), the world’s fourth-largest burden of tuberculosis, and around two million people living with HIV, funding programs to contain the disease wave of these sinister clues have become a central focus for Global Fund.
Since 2003, the Global Fund has disbursed over $ 2 billion to Nigeria. But despite this, the country is still dogged by worrying health statistics, in part because corrupt and incompetent officials are undermining progress in health management, according to health experts.
Zenith, a subcontractor of Chemonics International, which managed an integrated supply chain for Global Fund Principal Recipients in Nigeria and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been blacklisted by the Funds.
The OIG report said Zenith inflated distribution bills up to tenfold and distorted the services performed, resulting in an overcharge of $ 3 million.
The revelation builds on previous OIG annual reports accusing Nigerian companies and government agencies of abusing millions of dollars in Global Fund aid.
In addition to the EFCC, the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) had previously said it had opened an investigation into the allegations against the Nigerian companies, agencies and their agents.
We have also sent a similar FOI request to the ICPC to inquire about the status of its investigations into the allegations reported by the OIG, but there is no response yet.
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