Times Of Swaziland: GOVT MEDICAL DRUGS SUPPLIER DEFRAUDED E1M

GOVT MEDICAL DRUGS SUPPLIER DEFRAUDED E1M
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BY KWAZI MASUKU on 13/08/2017 10:23:00


MBABANE – Six Swazi Med Centre employees could soon find themselves in the
dock on charges of theft for medical drugs and fraud.
The six employees are said to be under investigation relating to the more than
E1 million fraud and theft of medical drugs worth over E175 000.
The Times SUNDAY has learnt that the six fingered employees are under
investigation by the Manzini Fraud Unit.
The company supplies private pharmacies, government clinics and hospitals.
Senior sources from Swazi Med Centre told the Times SUNDAY that the aim is to
gather all evidence against the alleged culprits before they could be charged
and the matter placed on the court roll.
The workers were in hot water after it was established by Swazi Med Centre
management that for numerous times, among other alleged illicit acts, they
deliberately did not record monies (cash) collected from Cash On delivery (COD)
customers.
It is said the cash amounts which were not recorded on the daily collection form
were allegedly stolen and invoices were offset or credited to the customer
without Swazi Med Centre actually receiving the money. It is said the six
culprits allegedly altered (deleted) some recorded cash received from the
original Daily Collection Form.
Ogochukwu Mbachu, the Matsapha Industrial Sites-based company’s Operations
Manager, confirmed that the company had since referred the matter of alleged
theft and fraud to the police.
This, he said was done after they had launched their internal investigations.
According to this publication’s sources, the most recent fraudulent act is
said to have happened on June 27, 2017, where a sum of E13 000 was collected
from Care Point Pharmacy in Siteki by one of Swazi-Med Centre employees.
The said amount of money allegedly never reached the accounts of Swazi Med
Centre because it was allegedly shared between staff members.
It was also established that when Swazi Med Centre management questioned one
employee over this, he said he was asked by one senior staff member (named
withheld because they have not been charged) to deliver an envelope to Care
Point Pharmacy which he came later to collect.
It is understood that employee then delivered the said envelope to his superior
and denied knowledge of what was inside the envelop when he was further probed
by management.
Information reaching this publication is that when Mbachu telephoned Care Point
Pharmacy, the female employee, who reportedly gave out the E13 000 to the
staffer, said she gave the cash (E13 000) to the fingered Swazi Med Centre
employee who in turn wrote a receipt reflecting the same amount and gave it to
her.
Before the net closed on the syndicate, it is said a lot of fraudulent acts were
uncovered.