South African President Cyril Ramaphosa promised on Tuesday, January 25, legal proceedings and sanctions after multiple embezzlement, via fraud and corruption, within the framework of public contracts for the fight against the Covid of the order of 830 million euros .
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More than half of the 5,467 contracts examined by the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) under the supervision of the Ministry of Justice, concluded for the purchase of equipment or services in the context of the fight against the pandemic, show irregularities . “It is unacceptable that so many contracts to save lives and secure livelihoods are irregular, illegal or fraudulentsaid Cyril Ramaphosa in a statement.
An “abuse of public resources”
With more than 3.5 million cases and 94,000 deaths, South Africa is officially the most affected country on the continent. “This investigation targeted individuals and institutions who believed they could exploit a moment of national vulnerability to enrich themselves, as well as those with whom they organized an abuse of public resources.said Cyril Ramaphosa.
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To date, investigators have referred 940 cases to the authorities concerned: 386 to the National Public Prosecutor’s Office (NPA) for legal proceedings, 224 for disciplinary sanctions against civil servants, and 330 for “administrative penalties» including inclusion on a blacklist for obtaining public contracts.
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This announcement follows the release of the SIU’s final report on corruption in the Ministry of Health. An investigation by the Special Unit involved last year the former Minister of Health and close to the South African President, Zweli Mkhize, who resigned. According to Cyril Ramaphosa, who has made the fight against corruption one of his hobbyhorses, this report marks a “important step in the fight against corruption“.