The investigation conducted by the Division des enquêtes criminelles (DIC) on the Covid funds largely exceeds the initial revelations of the Cour des comptes. In the Ministry of Women, Family, Gender and Child Protection, a sophisticated system of falsification has allowed massive embezzlement. Key actors, such as the director of the Centre Estel, the president of the GIE ” Manko Deffar Transport Sénégal ” and the focal point Projet à la Direction de l’éducation surveillée, as well as several alleged beneficiaries, denounce the imitation of their signatures on false discharges, reports Libération. The investigation also revealed fictitious payments made in the name of third parties, fraudulently linked to service providers or agents of the Ministry, often without their knowledge. These payments were based on false references to identity cards or imitated signatures. Even the funds earmarked for the care of retired talibés de la rue have been diverted. Faced with the accusations, the former DAGE evokes “material errors” and takes refuge behind the “verbal and written instructions” of the minister. However, the alleged beneficiaries maintain their claims during the confrontations. This organisation, relying on fraudulent practices, allowed a massive waste of resources allocated to the fight against the pandemic. The results of the DIC investigation, now exploited by the judicial pool, shed light on a well-oiled network of misappropriation of public funds.
Covid: the DIC reveals a massive embezzlement of the Ministry of Women
