USAID’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) initiated an investigation into allegations that USAID-funded, long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) had been stolen and diverted from their intended use.[1] The complainant reported between 50,000 and 100,000 LLINs intended for a mass distribution campaign in Guinea were found in Bamako, Mali, and were being repackaged into false or counterfeit packaging.
OIG found that USAID/Mali loaned the Ministry of Health in Mali 200,000 USAID-funded LLINs to support a routine distribution campaign throughout the country. The Ministry of Health promised to repay USAID with new LLINs delivered in small tranches.
Evidence showed that a company registered in Mali won the Ministry of Health tender to reimburse USAID for the 200,000 LLINs. Over the course of several months, the company delivered approximately117,000 LLINs to a USAID-contracted warehouse in Bamako, Mali. However, the LLINs that the company delivered to the USAID warehouse were diverted LLINs, funded by both USAID and other donors, intended for distribution in Guinea and Sierra Leone.
The U.S. Department of Justice declined to pursue Federal criminal charges.
OIG completed its investigation and provided a report to USAID for action. As a result, the Agency recovered 200,000 LLINs, valued at approximately $386,000, from the Ministry of Health in Mali.
[1] Insecticide treated nets are a form of personal protection and mosquito control that may reduce malaria illness, severe disease, and death due to malaria in endemic regions.