.PNG)
KABUL (SW): Documents obtained by Salam Watandar indicate funds worth $ 1.6 million earmarked for uplift of the Takhar Public Hospital have been embezzled.
A letter by KfW Bankengruppe, a German government-owned development bank, based in Frankfurt, dated 03.12.2015 has stated: “We herewith refer to our previous correspondence regarding your claim amounting to US$ 1,649,916.53 under the advance payment guarantee provided by the Afghan AZIZI Bank within the context of above mentioned projects. As you are aware, funds for the project have been provided by the German Federal Foreign Office. In order to ensure a continued project implementation (here: finalization of construction of the Provincial hospital in Taloqan) it is urgently required that the Afghan Ministry of Public Health will recover the outstanding amount from AZIZI Bank, latest by March 2016.”
Medical staff at the Takhar hospital have stated this in their latest statement on this matter: “The funds earmarked for medical equipment for the hospital have been embezzled via the guarantor AZIZI Bank and in collaboration with the government officials. The central hospital in Taluqan does not have necessary medical equipment, medicine, database system and administrative tools, and it was decided these funds would be utilized for these purposes”.
Hafeezullah Safi, director public health in Takhar, however, claimed that this project worth a total of $ 9 million was conceived by the MoPH, and the provincial directorate was only tasked to supervise and monitor its implementation. He informed that the funds for guarantee were given to a firm, and the matter is in a Kabul court.
The matter has also been highlighted at the Wolesi Jirga (lower house) and the Cabinet of Ministers, but no headway has been seen.
Mohammad Naeem Lalay Hameedzay, head of medical commission of the WJ, however, informed Salam Watandar the issue has not been shared with the house.
AZIZI Bank has blamed the MoPH for the embezzlement. Mohammad Dawood Hejran, director credit affairs at this private lender, informed Salam Watandar that it was agreed upon that all funds would be transferred to the firm via AZIZI Bank, but the MoPH did not comply by it. “Based on the three-party agreement between the Ministry of Public Health, the contractor and the donor it was decided that the funds would be transferred via the AZIZI Bank, but the Ministry did not comply, only $ 125,000 for extra work by the Germans were sent to the Bank. We realized the funds are embezzled and we immediately sent the money within 24 hours to the Ministry of Public Health account”, he said.
Salam Watandar made repeated attempts to have the views of the MoPH on this matter, but repeated calls were not responded.
ENDS
