Auditor-general reports embezzlement in Darfur, eastern Sudan

The Sudanese auditor-general has reported fraud by state officials in East and West Darfur and in eastern Sudanese El Gedaref. Staff members of the Humanitarian Aid Commission in North Darfur have misappropriated equipment donated by the Chinese government.

Auditor General El Tahir Abdelgayoum reported in a statement on Tuesday that more than SDG800 million ($130 million) 'disappeared' in El Gedaref state, more than SDG140 million ($22.760 million) in East Darfur, and about SDG1.4 million ($228,000) in West Darfur.

He called on the embezzlers to “immediately return the misappropriated amounts”.

Theft

On Monday, the auditors team of North Darfur reported that employees of the governmental Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) in the state stole equipment and tools granted by the Chinese government, with a total value of SDG13 million ($2.115 million).

The auditors stated that HAC North Darfur received ten tractors. They handed half of them to the stores in the capital of El Fasher and kept the other half themselves. The same happened with 20 threshing machines. They kept all the seven large 17-Watt power generators. As for the 30 12-Watt generators, they handed 17 and embezzled 13. They further handed only 10 of the 40 6-Watt generators to the state's stores.