Fraud by Red Cross workers and others wasted at least $6 million
meant to fight the deadly Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the
organization confirmed on Saturday.
The revelations follow an internal
investigation of how the organization handled more than $124 million
during the 2014-2016 epidemic that killed more than 11,000 people in
Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.
The disease erupted in Guinea and quickly
spread to Sierra Leone and Liberia. The international aid response was
initially slow, and money — once it arrived — was often disbursed
quickly in the rush to purchase supplies and get aid workers into the
field.
As much as 2.13 million Swiss francs ($2.13
million) disappeared as the result of "likely collusion" between Red
Cross staff and employees at a Sierra Leonean bank, the investigation
found. It is believed that the money was lost when they improperly fixed
the exchange rate at the height of the epidemic.
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Source: NBC News
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