Gavi Alliance clears Zainab Bangura

Former health minister, Zainab Bangura has apparently been cleared by the Geneva-based GAVI Alliance whose funds to Sierra Leone were allegedly misappropriated. The statement by Gavi followed a request by Mrs Bangura for the organisation to clarify certain details of its on-going review of the Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) funding support to Sierra Leone. The Gavi statement dated 25 February, 2013 comes in the wake of a response by an independent group calling itself “Concerned for Sierra Leone” to an Anti-Corruption Commission call for the public to help with any information on the alleged misuse of donor funds at the ministry of health. “The attention of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has been drawn to an allegation relating to the misuse of donor funds at the Ministry of Health and Sanitation totaling USD$ 1, 099,640,” the anti-graft body stated in a 16 January 2013 press release. The said funds were provided by the GAVI Alliance, an International NGO supported by the Bill and Belinda Gates Foundation to the Ministry of Health for improved access and to resolve major constraints to immunization delivery. “The seeming embarrassment to the country, has resulted in the freezing of the current GAVI grant worth over USD$500,000, and a new two year grant of USD$5,399,371,” it said and therefore asked the public to collaborate in bringing the matter to its logical conclusion. In an email to the ACC, the concerned group claimed that “we would like to bring to your attention that Ms Zainab Bangura left Sierra Leone to work in the United Nations in New York in September 2012, came back to …Sierra Leone in November in 2012 to destroy and fabricate documents with regards to the missing US$ 1 million from GAVI and other donor funds.” GAVI alliance said the process was yet to be finalised but agreed that the review that followed the programme implementation indicated misuse of funds used between 2008 and 2011. “With one exception, all aspects of the review relate to HSS funds which were spent between 2008 and 2010. The exception relates to the procurement process for the purchase of three ambulances that started in November 2010 and was completed in March 2011” Gavi Alliance says. Ms Bangura was appointed on 4 December 2010 as minister of health and served in that capacity from 3 January 2011 until 31 August 2012. The international nongovernmental organisation said the purchase was conducted by the ministry’s Procurement Committee constituted in accordance with the National Public Procurement Agency Act 2004. “As a Minister, Ms Bangura did not participate in that Procurement Committee,” it said. A spokesman for the ACC, Shollay Davies would not comment on the apparent clearance of Mrs Bangura, denying knowledge of it. He told Politico that they were looking at the role played by authorising officers and vote comptrollers in the alleged corruption. Davies would not be drawn into whether or not Mrs Bangura would be probed saying the “investigations are following the lead”.