KABUL (Pajhwok): Pajhwok Afghan News findings show 18 senior officers of central Logar province have been referred to judicial organs over embezzling millions of afghanis allocated for controlling Covid-19 spread in the province.
Pajhwok findings show huge anomalies in the procurement of 38 types of medical equipment and medicines for the provincial Public Health Department.
The anomalies include difference in prices, purchase of irrelevant goods, lack of accuracy in requirement assessments, lack of determination and purchase of extra materials than needed and lack of transparency in the employment of health workers for Covid-19 control and payments of their salaries.
These materials include oxygen generators, tables for checking a patient, non-sterile gloves, thermometer infrared, vitamin D3, sodium hypochlorite, ethyl alcohol, PPE KIT and others.
Documents show nearly five million afghanis have been embezzled only in seven types of the materials. Evidences indicate that local organs have committed many violations in spending financial resources for controlling Covid-19 that led to embezzlement of the fund, affecting health services during the virus’s outbreak.
The documents reveal that 18 people, including two former Logar governors, have been referred to judicial organs over embezzlement of fund allocated for Covid-19 response.
Purchase of materials at higher prices compared to normal market rates:
The Covid-19 Control Procurement Committee on April 19, 2020 in a proposal approved by Logar governor has requested 38 types of medical equipment and medicines for the provincial Public Health Department based on a single source procurement, which was also reviewed by offers’ evaluation team. The contract of these equipment and materials was signed with Bator Rawan Company against 23.453 million afghanis.
Difference in prices of purchased items with the market rates:
According to reports about the management of spending Covid-19 control fund, public interests had not been considered in the purchase of some items in Logar and the required items were bought on rates mucht higher compared to the market prices.
Documents show that seven items including 10 oxygen generators, 25 patient examination tables, 100 non-sterile gloves, 15 infrared thermometers, 6,300 PPE KITs, 7,000 vitamin D3 and 8,000 syringes were purchased for 12.748 million afghanis while their total cost in the market is more than 7.93 million. In total, 4.916 million afghanis had been embezzled in the purchase of these items.
Lack of accuracy in needs assessment, distinction and purchase of items more than needed:
Former Logar officials have purchased 38 items more than needed. These materials included 15,000 kilograms of sodium hypochlorite with each kilogram costing 110 afghanis (1,650,000 afghanis total), 1,000 liters of ethyl alcohol 70%, with each liter costing 1,140 afghanis (1.14 million afghanis total) and purchase of 6,300 PPE KITs — each costing 1,750 afghanis (11.025 million afghanis in total).
In addition to charging higher rates than the market price, more items had been purchased than needed.
Documents show that PPE kits were bought more than required, 6,000 of them were purchased only for the provincial Public Health Department on a cost of 11.025 million afghanis.
Not all procedures observed for spending Covid-19 control budget:
- Covid-19 Control Procurement Committee had proposed distribution of 500 packages of food items including a bag of rice, a bag of flour, a tin of ghee, seven kilograms of sugar and a kilogram of tea for patients recovered from the virus and those affected during last year’s quarantine measures in Pul-i-Alam, the provincial capital, and districts of the province. The governor’s house of Logar approved the proposal after determining rates in the market and the items purchased valued at 2.44 million afghanis.
Except a few papers of the aid packages signed by members of Observatory Council, the rest of packages were distributed without approval from the council members. Besides that, there is no approval of the council for the purchase of food packages from the market. Four members of the council have signed only some of the price lists.
- Covid-19 Control Procurement Committee in Logar province on April 19, 2020 signed contracts with three local radio stations at a total cost of 550,800 afghanis for spreading awareness about prevention of the virus. The contracts were signed with Radio Zinnat, Radio Mahal and Radio Paiwand-i-Mili for a period of three months. Each contract cost 183,600 afghanis.
Documents show that there was no approval of the Observatory Council in the contracts. The awareness messages were prepared jointly by the governor’s house, information and culture department, public health department, Hajj and Islamic Affairs department and youth affairs department of Logar, but no information is available how the awareness programs were monitored.
One of the Observatory Council members is director of Zinat Radio, which received the public awareness contract in conflict with the country’s laws.
Description of the crime:
Documents show that the suggestion for purchase of items made through single source was also approved by Logar governor, while offer assessment team has announced Bator Rawan Company as winner of the bidding.
Pajhwok findings show there is no approval of the Observatory Council for the purchase of 38 medical equipment and medicines.
The proposed items were purchased in two installments. The first installment worth 7.199 million afghanis was procured with a delay lasting a month and a week and the second installment worth 14.603 million afghanis was provided with a delay lasting three months and 10 days, but no fines were enforced for the delays.
According to information and video footages shared by Pajhwok reporter from Logar, some of the equipment purchased were second hand and used. The equipment received by Logar officials were also second hand and used.
Suspected people in the case:
During the investigation of the issue, 18 people including former governors of Logar, the provincial public health director, representative of Covid-19 Control Procurement Committee, a representative of the attorney general office, National Directorate of Security and a number of others have been referred to the Attorney General Office.
A number of local officials including Mohammad Anwar Eshaqzai, former Logar governor who approved the contracts, Mohammad Ajmal Shahpoor, Logar governor who approved payments of money, Maj. Gen. Mohammad Nabi Ahmadzai, head of the Covid-19 Control Procurement Committee who ordered contracts, Rassoul Gul Samar, the public health director who proposed the items and a number of others, have been referred to the Attorney General Office for embezzlement of millions of afghanis in Covid-19 control fund.
Views of the suspected people in the case:
Mohammad Anwar Eshaqzai, former Logar governor, said that contracts about the Covid-19 were transparent and he honestly played his role as governor of the province.
When asked the contracts were signed during his leadership in Logar, he said he had formed a committee comprised of representatives from the NDS, the attorney office, the provincial council, the public health department, civil society institutes and other relevant organs for ensuring transparency in the contracts.
He said the committee was given full authority for transparency in all contracts. The committee had estimated the value of the medical equipment and other materials as 24 million afghanis, but the contract was signed for 23 million afghanis and one million afghanis were saved, he said.
“I was not a technical and professional man in the mentioned area to be aware about the market rates, as governor I signed the contract, I was removed from job during work, not even a single afghani had been embezzled during my leadership, all current responsibilities lie with the current governor and the committee,” he added.
Eshaqzai said purchase of medical equipment and medicines had been announced for bidding, in which nine companies participated and the contract was signed with the one which offered lowest prices.
However, Mohammad Ajmal Shahpoor, the recent former governor of Logar, said that contracts of the medical equipment and medicines were signed by the former governor before he was appointed to the job.
He said that the procurement process had been transparently observed and there was no corruption when he was the governor of Logar.
About purchase of more items than needed, he said all the items listed in the contract were required and they were approved by technical and medical teams of the provincial Public Health Department.
On the other hand, Rassoul Gul Samar, Logar public health director, rejected corruption in the purchase of medical equipment and medicines and said all the procurements were made transparently.
About higher number of purchase of PPE KITs, he said, “It was the need of the time when Logar was under high threat of Covid-19, we purchased the kits based on our requirements.”
He said that all the items were announced in a single bidding and the company with the lowest rate received the contract.
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“This Investigative Report was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of Pajhwok and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.”
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