News / Local
Three Mpilo Hospital bosses nabbed
06 Sep 2015 at 01:00hrs | Views
THREE Mpilo Central Hospital bosses - Mrs Regina Duduza Moyo, Mr Mxolisi Sibanda and Mr Charles Govo - were yesterday arrested on allegations of fraud, reportedly involving more than $100 000 emanating from alleged underhand dealings in the procurement of equipment and other accessories at the health institution.
Mrs Moyo is the director of operations, Mr Sibanda is an administrative assistant while Mr Govo is the director of finance at the hospital.
Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Precious Simango said the three were assisting police with investigations.
"We have picked up three Mpilo Central Hospital staff who are at the moment helping police with investigations. We can't say much as investigations are still underway," said Insp Simango.
The arrest of the trio comes after audits conducted by the Health Service Board (HSB) and a private company, PNA Chartered Accountants.
PNA Chartered Accountants, which was roped in by the Mpilo Hospital Management Board, is reported to have unearthed a scam involving millions of dollars after the suspension of Mrs Moyo, Mr Govo and Mr Sibanda. The hospital's chief executive officer Dr Lawrence Mandiziva was also suspended.
PNA reportedly said the conduct of the trio was criminal in nature which warranted the involvement of the police.
However, the Ministry of Health and Child Care's internal auditors unveiled irregularities involving far less money than what PNA Chartered Accountants said was swindled and charges the Health Service Board preferred against the trio were not criminal, but administrative in nature.
A source close to the matter said PNA Chartered Accountants were handpicked by the Hospital Management Board to do a forensic investigation in which they claimed that they unearthed a scam involving millions of dollars and charged the hospital $6 000 which was paid in two instalments.
The audit report by PNA Chartered Accountants, our source revealed, remains in secrecy and the trio was not given a chance to explain themselves except reading about the allegations in the Press.
"The manner in which the audit was done was that there were no interviews done and it was done in one week and the audit company (PNA) reported that it uncovered that millions were missing. If PNA's audit report was a sound document why was it only used to suspend the executive and never quoted in the charges preferred against them by the HSB? PNA charged $6 000 to carry out the forensic audit which was paid by the hospital in two instalments. When the Ministry's internal audit team came PNA further charged $4 000 as handover fees of documents and the fee was later reduced to $2 500," the source said.
The source claimed there was very little truth in some stories publicised in the Press.
Documents gleaned by Sunday News revealed that indeed PNA Chartered Accountants was paid $6 000 for conducting the forensic audit and another $2 500 for handing over documents to the Ministry's audit team with all the sums being paid by the hospital.
On 29 April this year, the hospital's board chairperson, Mrs Sichelesile Moyo-Ncube, wrote to the health institution's acting chief executive officer Mr Leonard Mabandi advising him of the recalling of PNA Chartered Accountants to assist detectives and the Ministry's internal audit team.
"PNA Chartered Accountants have been recalled to the hospital by the Hospital Management Board to assist detectives and the internal audit team from Harare in investigations currently being carried out. The team will report to your office on Monday the 3rd of May 2015. They have had to recall some of their team members from out of the town and as such they have charged us for the time they will spend at the hospital. Please find attached a copy of their response and charges for your attention to enable you to facilitate their payment," wrote Mrs Moyo-Ncube.
In his letter bearing the same date to the Hospital Management Board, PNA Chartered Accountants' senior partner who signed off as Mr P Ndlovu wrote: "Thank you very much for your invitation. We believe the handover/takeover exercise will take two to three days and we will need to send our senior staff for the exercise. We estimate that the cost for this assistance, in terms of time quality of staff, would be in the region of US$4 000. However, the partnership has agreed to reduce the charges to US$2 500 as part of our community service to the hospital."
However, charges preferred against the trio by HSB after an audit conducted by the ministry's internal auditors are silent on the millions of dollars purportedly siphoned which the PNA Chartered Accountants claimed.
The director of operations, Mrs Moyo, is facing three charges: failure to obey instructions, including circulars instructions or standing orders issued by the Board, the Treasury or the Accounting officers (seven counts); Improper, negligent, inefficient or incompetent performance of duties (two counts) and act or omission which is consistent with, or prejudicial to the discharge of official duties (two counts) and the total amount involved is $89 300.
The administration assistant, Mr Sibanda, is facing two charges: improper, negligent, inefficient or incompetent performance of duties (one count) and failure to obey lawful instructions, including circulars instructions or standing orders issued by the Board and the Treasury or the Accounting Officer (five counts) and the amount involved is $49 500. The director of finance, Mr Govo, is facing three charges: improper, negligent, inefficient or incompetent performance of duties (one count), any act or omission which is inconsistent with or prejudicial to the discharge of official duties including the abuse of authority (one count) and failure to obey instructions, including circulars or standing orders by the Board , the Treasury or the accounting officer (two counts) and the amount involved is $6 100.
The total figure which the hospital is purported to have been prejudiced by the actions of the trio is about $139 000, according to the health ministry's charge sheet.
Efforts to get a comment from PNA Chartered Accountants' Mr Ndlovu were fruitless as he was said to be out office and an official who had promised that he would get back to this reporter failed to do so until the time of going to print.
Mrs Moyo is the director of operations, Mr Sibanda is an administrative assistant while Mr Govo is the director of finance at the hospital.
Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Precious Simango said the three were assisting police with investigations.
"We have picked up three Mpilo Central Hospital staff who are at the moment helping police with investigations. We can't say much as investigations are still underway," said Insp Simango.
The arrest of the trio comes after audits conducted by the Health Service Board (HSB) and a private company, PNA Chartered Accountants.
PNA Chartered Accountants, which was roped in by the Mpilo Hospital Management Board, is reported to have unearthed a scam involving millions of dollars after the suspension of Mrs Moyo, Mr Govo and Mr Sibanda. The hospital's chief executive officer Dr Lawrence Mandiziva was also suspended.
PNA reportedly said the conduct of the trio was criminal in nature which warranted the involvement of the police.
However, the Ministry of Health and Child Care's internal auditors unveiled irregularities involving far less money than what PNA Chartered Accountants said was swindled and charges the Health Service Board preferred against the trio were not criminal, but administrative in nature.
A source close to the matter said PNA Chartered Accountants were handpicked by the Hospital Management Board to do a forensic investigation in which they claimed that they unearthed a scam involving millions of dollars and charged the hospital $6 000 which was paid in two instalments.
The audit report by PNA Chartered Accountants, our source revealed, remains in secrecy and the trio was not given a chance to explain themselves except reading about the allegations in the Press.
"The manner in which the audit was done was that there were no interviews done and it was done in one week and the audit company (PNA) reported that it uncovered that millions were missing. If PNA's audit report was a sound document why was it only used to suspend the executive and never quoted in the charges preferred against them by the HSB? PNA charged $6 000 to carry out the forensic audit which was paid by the hospital in two instalments. When the Ministry's internal audit team came PNA further charged $4 000 as handover fees of documents and the fee was later reduced to $2 500," the source said.
Documents gleaned by Sunday News revealed that indeed PNA Chartered Accountants was paid $6 000 for conducting the forensic audit and another $2 500 for handing over documents to the Ministry's audit team with all the sums being paid by the hospital.
On 29 April this year, the hospital's board chairperson, Mrs Sichelesile Moyo-Ncube, wrote to the health institution's acting chief executive officer Mr Leonard Mabandi advising him of the recalling of PNA Chartered Accountants to assist detectives and the Ministry's internal audit team.
"PNA Chartered Accountants have been recalled to the hospital by the Hospital Management Board to assist detectives and the internal audit team from Harare in investigations currently being carried out. The team will report to your office on Monday the 3rd of May 2015. They have had to recall some of their team members from out of the town and as such they have charged us for the time they will spend at the hospital. Please find attached a copy of their response and charges for your attention to enable you to facilitate their payment," wrote Mrs Moyo-Ncube.
In his letter bearing the same date to the Hospital Management Board, PNA Chartered Accountants' senior partner who signed off as Mr P Ndlovu wrote: "Thank you very much for your invitation. We believe the handover/takeover exercise will take two to three days and we will need to send our senior staff for the exercise. We estimate that the cost for this assistance, in terms of time quality of staff, would be in the region of US$4 000. However, the partnership has agreed to reduce the charges to US$2 500 as part of our community service to the hospital."
However, charges preferred against the trio by HSB after an audit conducted by the ministry's internal auditors are silent on the millions of dollars purportedly siphoned which the PNA Chartered Accountants claimed.
The director of operations, Mrs Moyo, is facing three charges: failure to obey instructions, including circulars instructions or standing orders issued by the Board, the Treasury or the Accounting officers (seven counts); Improper, negligent, inefficient or incompetent performance of duties (two counts) and act or omission which is consistent with, or prejudicial to the discharge of official duties (two counts) and the total amount involved is $89 300.
The administration assistant, Mr Sibanda, is facing two charges: improper, negligent, inefficient or incompetent performance of duties (one count) and failure to obey lawful instructions, including circulars instructions or standing orders issued by the Board and the Treasury or the Accounting Officer (five counts) and the amount involved is $49 500. The director of finance, Mr Govo, is facing three charges: improper, negligent, inefficient or incompetent performance of duties (one count), any act or omission which is inconsistent with or prejudicial to the discharge of official duties including the abuse of authority (one count) and failure to obey instructions, including circulars or standing orders by the Board , the Treasury or the accounting officer (two counts) and the amount involved is $6 100.
The total figure which the hospital is purported to have been prejudiced by the actions of the trio is about $139 000, according to the health ministry's charge sheet.
Efforts to get a comment from PNA Chartered Accountants' Mr Ndlovu were fruitless as he was said to be out office and an official who had promised that he would get back to this reporter failed to do so until the time of going to print.
Source - Sunday News
