Africa-Press – Eswatini. Minister of Health, Lizzie Nkosi, said she has not seen the forensic audit report into allegations of irregularities related to procurement, acquisition and distribution of medicines to public health facilities.
The minister’s statement comes amidst Swazi pharm’s letter of demand to the attorney general for a copy of the report through their attorneys, Robinson Bertram.
In its letter also sent to the prime minister, finance minister, health minister and the auditor general, who Swazi Pharm accuses of having leaked the report to one of its directors, Swazi Pharm alleges that it had noted through various press reports and other sources, that a forensic report had been handed over to government.
According to Swazi Pharm, the existence of the report had been confirmed by the ministers for Finance (Neal Rijkenberg) and Health (Nkosi) as well as the principal secretary in the ministry of health.
It stated that the prima facie findings contained in the report were supposedly based on information provided by certain individuals and were allegedly supported by some documentary evidence.
They said this was according to the auditor general in his discussions with one of the directors during the surreptitiousness meeting at the director’s residence.
The report was, according to Swazi Pharm, purportedly carried out by Funduzi Forensic Services (Pty) Limited.
While the finance minister was unavailable when sought on the issue, the minister of health said the Prime Minister, Cleopas Dlamini, was the only one who had seen it and had not released it yet.
Nkosi, when asked what had caused the delay in releasing the report and also if it would be shared with Swazi Pharm, she said they were all looking forward to the report.
Confirmed
Deputy Government Spokesperson, Thabile Mdluli, confirmed that the report had been submitted to Cabinet.
“By its nature, a forensic audit is not a public document until it gets to a legal stage as determined by the relevant authorities who commissioned it in the first place,” Mdluli stated.
Swazi Pharm is arguing that the report is irrational and unreasonable.
Minister Rijkenberg in August issued a statement that Cabinet met with the auditor general and representatives from Funduzi Forensic Services (Ltd) in order to satisfy itself on the engagement processes of the entity to conduct a forensic audit into the supply of medicines to public health facilities.
According to the minister at the time, Cabinet needed to satisfy itself that the media concerns, which emerged did not have any impact on the possible outcomes of the forensic investigation and that the process was not tainted with illegality.
Swazi Pharm has demanded access to the copy of the report by noon today.
In its letter of demand, the company has threatened to take legal action in the event it did not receive confirmation of government’s compliance with this demand.
The directors have since expressed their wish to exercise their constitutional rights to review the findings, comments and conclusions contained in the report within the courts so as to vindicate their good business name and personal reputations.
Meanwhile, the auditor general Timothy Matsebula told the Observer that he had no hidden agenda by his visit to one of the Swazi pharm directors, as alleged by the company in its letter to the attorney general.
Disclosed
Matsebula further refuted allegations that he disclosed extracts of the reports to the director as that was known about the investigations was information, which was published by the media.
He went on to state that the investigations have been carried out with honesty and integrity, adding that they opened an opportunity for everyone to give them information to assist with the investigations but some did not utilise the opportunity.
“I did pay a visit to the consular upon request. It was a formal visit and I had a witness, everything was done in transparency,” Matsebula stated.
“I have not discussed contents of any of my reports with anyone outside the jurisdiction and mandate of my work.
The forensic report, by its nature, can only be accessed by specific individuals within government and not accessible to the public,” he added.
He said they could try to twist the facts to try and make him appear as if he had done something bad when in actual fact there was nothing sinister.
Secret
The auditor general went on to state that he did know that the consular invited him to an alleged secret meeting. “It is only now that I am learning through the letter by his lawyers that the meeting was intended to be secret.
Again, at the time the consular invited me, the report had not been issued. It is therefore strange that I could have shared a ‘ghost’ report assuming I had anything to share on that day,” said the auditor general.
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