Mbabane – Swazipharm director Kareem Ashraff has criticised Minister for Finance Neal Rijkenberg and Funduzi Forensic Services over a forensic audit report tabled in Parliament, raising concerns about legal disclaimers contained in the document, according to reports by Times Eswatini.
Ashraff was reacting to the Funduzi report presented by the finance minister on Wednesday in Mbabane, which he said discredited suppliers while at the same time shielding the auditors from legal accountability should inaccuracies be found.
He questioned why Funduzi included disclaimers limiting its liability, arguing that such statements suggested uncertainty about the credibility and accuracy of the findings. Ashraff said if the auditors were confident in their work, there would have been no need for such protections.
He recalled a previous Funduzi report which alleged that government had paid for drugs that were said to have been donated during the COVID 19 pandemic. Ashraff said he was compelled at the time to write directly to the World Health Organisation headquarters in Geneva, which later issued a statement denying that Remdesivir had been donated.
Although Zakhele Dlamini, director of Funduzi Forensic Services, later denied stating that the WHO had donated the drugs, Ashraff said the report itself indicated that government had been charged E9 million for Remdesivir. Dlamini later told other publications that Funduzi’s position had been misunderstood.
In that earlier report, the matter was titled Fraudulent purchase of a donated trial drug, leading to the suspension of a senior procurement officer accused of colluding with a pharmaceutical supplier to charge government for the medicine.
Ashraff said the approach taken by the auditors raised serious questions. He queried why names were mentioned in a report where the authors had distanced themselves from responsibility for the accuracy of the documents relied upon.
He also questioned why the finance minister tabled a report containing such disclaimers and whether Funduzi could be cited should there be a need for redress or legal intervention arising from the report’s implementation.
Ashraff further raised concerns about transparency, questioning the relationship between Funduzi Forensic Services and FDZ Forensic Services. He also drew attention to links between Funduzi, The Luke Commission and government, saying he had previously assisted The Luke Commission during a period of financial and technical difficulty and had introduced its management to senior leaders.
He said Dlamini, who heads Funduzi Forensic Services, now serves as spokesperson for The Luke Commission, which he said was troubling given that the firm’s report had caused reputational damage to his business.
Meanwhile, Funduzi Forensic Services has publicly distanced itself from any legal responsibility arising from the audit report. The firm stated that it relied on documents provided during the investigation and did not independently verify their authenticity.
In the report, Funduzi said it reviewed documentation as presented and would not be responsible for any falsified or forged documents that may have influenced its findings. It further stated that it accepted no liability for claims or damages arising from the implementation of its recommendations.
The audit, titled Extension investigation into the recall of medicines and drugs including framework systems across Eswatini public health facilities, was commissioned to investigate recalled products valued at more than E4.8 million during the 2023 2024 financial year.
Funduzi said it did not conduct an audit in line with international auditing standards but carried out an in depth forensic review based on best practice methodologies. The firm added that the report was prepared solely for use by the Office of the Auditor General and legislative oversight structures within the Kingdom of Eswatini.
The report revealed widespread concerns in the public health supply chain, including frequent recalls of medicines due to quality issues, short shelf life and labelling irregularities. It noted that some recalled medicines may have already been consumed by patients and that significant public funds were spent on products later withdrawn.
The issue was initially brought before the Public Accounts Committee following preliminary findings by the Auditor General, leading to the commissioning of a deeper forensic investigation into procurement processes, quality control, drug testing capacity and the implications of recalls on patients and government finances.
Parliament has yet to debate or adopt the report, and the House of Assembly has not formally deliberated on the findings in line with standing orders.
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