Millions lost in AusAID foreign aid scam

Feuer Frei! · 03-24-11, 07:49 AM

This really doesn't surprise me in the least.
Makes me mad, this.

AUSTRALIA'S $4.5 billion foreign aid program is plagued by record levels of fraud, with millions of dollars being stolen by corrupt officials and overseas agencies. AusAID has 175 cases of fraud under investigation - stretching across 27 countries and totalling millions of dollars, The Daily Telegraph reported.
Documents released under Freedom of Information expose a criminal trail in some of the world's poorest countries, with widespread theft of money and forging of receipts.
They also show how food and other supplies are being diverted from dirt-poor communities and sold on the black market at inflated prices.
While AusAID insists it is improving fraud control, the documents also reveal police are often reluctant to intervene and charge local criminals - frustrating the agency's attempts to recover missing aid money.

In one extraordinary case, the Eritrean Government in 2006 seized food and other supplies from the UN's World Food Program, saddling Australian taxpayers with a probable loss of $1.25 million.
The revelations will do little to boost public confidence in a foreign aid program that is forecast to nearly double to $8 billion a year by 2015.
PNG emerged as corruption central with 71 cases of identified fraud - 40 per cent of the AusAID total - involving millions in missing funds.
Indonesia, which will receive $458 million in Australian assistance in 2010/11, recorded 31 fraud cases, followed by the Philippines at 20 and Solomon Islands with 19.

Other times, AusAID has struggled to establish fraud "because of the lack of a paper trail" while on other occasions businesses were paid money but then closed their offices.
An unknown amount of AusAID funds were caught up in a major scandal involving the African country of Mali with health workers allegedly embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The fraud involved "managing contractors" paid hundreds of millions to manage aid projects - including Cardno Limited, involved in 40-odd cases of fraud.

SOURCE

TarJak · 03-24-11, 09:16 PM

No surprise. Whenever free money is involved the greedy grubs come out of the woodwork. When its my tax dollar in play it gets my back up.

bookworm_020 · 03-24-11, 10:11 PM

A lose - lose situation for all involved, except for the ones who stole the money!

03-24-11, 07:49 AM	#1
Feuer Frei! Navy Seal Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Valhalla Posts: 5,295 Downloads: 141 Uploads: 17	Millions lost in AusAID foreign aid scam This really doesn't surprise me in the least. Makes me mad, this. AUSTRALIA'S $4.5 billion foreign aid program is plagued by record levels of fraud, with millions of dollars being stolen by corrupt officials and overseas agencies. AusAID has 175 cases of fraud under investigation - stretching across 27 countries and totalling millions of dollars, The Daily Telegraph reported. Documents released under Freedom of Information expose a criminal trail in some of the world's poorest countries, with widespread theft of money and forging of receipts. They also show how food and other supplies are being diverted from dirt-poor communities and sold on the black market at inflated prices. While AusAID insists it is improving fraud control, the documents also reveal police are often reluctant to intervene and charge local criminals - frustrating the agency's attempts to recover missing aid money. In one extraordinary case, the Eritrean Government in 2006 seized food and other supplies from the UN's World Food Program, saddling Australian taxpayers with a probable loss of $1.25 million. The revelations will do little to boost public confidence in a foreign aid program that is forecast to nearly double to $8 billion a year by 2015. PNG emerged as corruption central with 71 cases of identified fraud - 40 per cent of the AusAID total - involving millions in missing funds. Indonesia, which will receive $458 million in Australian assistance in 2010/11, recorded 31 fraud cases, followed by the Philippines at 20 and Solomon Islands with 19. Other times, AusAID has struggled to establish fraud "because of the lack of a paper trail" while on other occasions businesses were paid money but then closed their offices. An unknown amount of AusAID funds were caught up in a major scandal involving the African country of Mali with health workers allegedly embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars. The fraud involved "managing contractors" paid hundreds of millions to manage aid projects - including Cardno Limited, involved in 40-odd cases of fraud. SOURCE __________________ "History is the lies that the victors agree on"- Napoleon LINK TO MY SH 3 MODS

03-24-11, 10:11 PM	#3
bookworm_020 Navy Seal Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Sinking ships off the Australian coast Posts: 5,966 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	A lose - lose situation for all involved, except for the ones who stole the money! __________________ "There is always one person in any organization who knows whats going on, That person must be fired"

03-24-11, 09:16 PM	#2
TarJak Fleet Admiral Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 17,052 Downloads: 150 Uploads: 8	No surprise. Whenever free money is involved the greedy grubs come out of the woodwork. When its my tax dollar in play it gets my back up.