National Health Insurance Fund Head offices, Dar es Salaam.
The Sh2.9 billion allegedly stolen by top officials of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) in Mara and Dar es Salaam regions was laundered by establishing several private businesses and buying cars.
The Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) is investigating several private projects that were used by a senior official in Mara Region to “clean up” the stolen cash.
The official was the first to be suspended over the loss last month before Health minister Ummy Mwalimu announced on Friday she was also suspending NHIF acting director general Michael Mhando and three other top officials.
Other suspended officials are director of Finance and Economic Resources Deusdedit Rutaaza, Information Technology Director Ally Othman and Internal Auditor Anne Maneno. New details show that PCCB has linked several personal projects in Dar es Salaam and Musoma to the money that was stolen from NHIF accounts over three years from April 2013.
Yesterday, PCCB Mara regional commander Holle Makungu said his office was investigating several projects suspected to have been established to launder the stolen cash.
He said the businesses are linked to the NHIF Mara official, but declined to name others linked to the scandal to avoid interfering with ongoing investigations.
“What I can assure you is that we’re investigating big and small businesses within and outside Mara Region but I won’t reveal what kind of businesses, but let it be known that they are big and small ones,” he said.
Mr Makungu said due to the complexity and scope of the investigations, it was difficult to state when the suspects would be arraigned.
“The issue is not that easy as it involves people in and outside Mara Region,” he said.
The Citizen has also learnt that an employee of a prominent bank in Musoma is among people who have been questioned by PCCB for allegedly assisting the NHIF official to conduct illegal transactions in the past three years.
Inquiries by The Citizen show that the official used the employee to process and clear nearly all NHIF transactions with the bank.
The PCCB boss said they have realised that the accused used to prepare two different cheques to steal NHIF cash.
He used the proper channel to draw cash using one cheque and would use a forged signature of the regional manager to process another transaction.
“If, for instance, a certain hospital were to be paid Sh100 million, the accountant would prepare two different cheques for the same transaction. The first cheque would be signed by ‘Signatory A’ who is the regional manager and ‘Signatory B’ who is the regional accountant then the second cheque would be signed by the ‘Signatory B’ who is himself and then he would forge the sign of ‘Signatory B,” he explained
He said preliminary investigations have shown that the official had been using the trick for the past three years.
The PCCB boss further said that investigations have shown the accountant has been using different people to supervise his projects to conceal his involvement. Others questioned over the alleged theft is a councillor. The civic leader had disappeared for weeks upon realising that the investigation was zeroing in on him but later surrendered to the PCCB.
He has already been interrogated and has been released as investigations continue.
Source:TheCitizen