Here is a first of a number of opinion pieces published today in New Age, relating to the two previously published reports on financial irregularities in the World Bank and donor supported health sector programmes. The two articles are: 'Audit finds $70m irregularities' and '$428m or irregularities in 8 years'.
The article below contains links to relevant documents:
The article below contains links to relevant documents:
Donors and audit transparency
by David Bergman
THE financial irregularities identified in the donor-supported ministry of health programmes, implemented between 2003 and 2012, involve mind-bogglingly large numbers.
In the recently completed eight-year programme, irregularities involving $470 million were identified (‘428m irregularities in 8 years’, New Age, June 30) and in 2012–3, the most recent audit of the current health programme identified $70 million, which is nearly a third of the total audited expenditure. (‘Audit finds $70m spending irregularities’, New Age, June 29).
This does not mean that all the money was gobbled up by greedy ministry officials — some of it was also wasted, or spent on contracts given through illegal procedures.
The audits themselves raise a number of important questions about the integrity of development programmes in Bangladesh and how donors should respond to information about financial irregularities. However, this first article considers the transparency of donors towards the audit reports which they receive from government.
In the recently completed eight-year programme, irregularities involving $470 million were identified (‘428m irregularities in 8 years’, New Age, June 30) and in 2012–3, the most recent audit of the current health programme identified $70 million, which is nearly a third of the total audited expenditure. (‘Audit finds $70m spending irregularities’, New Age, June 29).
This does not mean that all the money was gobbled up by greedy ministry officials — some of it was also wasted, or spent on contracts given through illegal procedures.
The audits themselves raise a number of important questions about the integrity of development programmes in Bangladesh and how donors should respond to information about financial irregularities. However, this first article considers the transparency of donors towards the audit reports which they receive from government.
