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| Bob’s Boys Siphon off EU Aid |
| 2004-02-29 |
| You’ve got to wonder if the metric surprise meters manufactured on the Continent register this sort of stuff .... Some of Robert Mugabe’s closest allies have creamed off more than £100 million in British and European Union aid which was intended to tackle AIDS and poverty in Zimbabwe. Internal EU documents seen by The Telegraph show that 89 per cent of all its aid to Zimbabwe disappears into the coffers of aides of President Mugabe and his ruling Zanu-PF Party. Only 11 per cent is spent on the humanitarian purposes for which it is intended. The disclosure has prompted Hilary Benn, the International Development Secretary, to launch an official investigation into the alleged theft. Despite the imposition of sanctions in 2001, the EU has provided €30 million in aid to Zimbabwe since then. Britain has paid a further £62 million on top of the EU figure, distributed via the EU, while other European countries have also handed over additional amounts, taking the total received via the EU to about £115 million. This money is provided for humanitarian purposes and, under EU sanctions, cannot be used directly by the Zimbabwean government or for political purposes. An EU audit has found, however, that the majority of it has been channelled through charities, government-linked agencies and businesses owned by members of Mr Mugabe’s ruling Zanu-PF party. The audit report, which assesses the use of the aid budget for 2002, states that Zimbabwean organisations "reduced the value of the EU resources by 89 per cent, to the detriment of the people". The report adds that these Zimbabwean organisations are mostly controlled by allies of President Mugabe or his relatives. For legal reasons, no companies are named. An EU official said: "It is an absolute scandal. Taxpayers’ money is going straight into the pockets of gangsters." The scam operated by the Zimbabweans is simple. The organisations funded by the EU are, in theory, meant to buy goods in Zimbabwe at the official exchange rate of $1 to $15 Zimbabwean dollars. On the black market, however, $1 is actually worth $1,500 Zimbabwean dollars. This means that Mr Mugabe’s associates can buy the goods required under their EU contracts using the black market exchange rate, while telling the EU that they have paid at the official exchange rate. The result is a huge profit for Mr Mugabe’s Zanu-PF friends. John Bercow, the shadow international development minister, said that the EU had been slow to recognise that aid money was being siphoned off. He also accused it of hiding the results of the audit in obscure documents. He added: "This is an outrageous abuse of taxpayers’ money. It could be doing so much more to help poverty stricken and ill Zimbabweans." Officials at the Department for International Development are now examining ways of preventing money being diverted to Zanu-PF followers. wotta thought ... |
| Posted by:rkb |
| #8 First Yassy,no Mugabe.Dan you Euro's are an easy mark. I got some prime bottom land to sale,if ytou are interested? ((please nobody tell them the land belongs to the USFS) |
| Posted by: Raptor 2004-2-29 7:20:19 PM |
| #7 No money? No credit? Blood on your hands? Well, come on down to the EU Money Store third world, scumbags! Come and get it! We're giving it away! Hurry, before we steal it ourselves! |
| Posted by: tu3031 2004-2-29 12:55:23 PM |
| #6 I just found my old trusty surprise meter. I had it mixed up with my refrigeration gages, with the high end retarted feature so it does not get damaged when it pegs. My surprise meter made a good movement when I exposed it to this: An EU official said: "It is an absolute scandal. Taxpayers’ money is going straight into the pockets of gangsters." So there is some hope. Now, if we put down the suprise meters and pick up and use the ClueBats, maybe the EUrocrats will start saving their taxpayers some money. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2004-2-29 12:28:36 PM |
| #5 My suprise meter works just fine. I was suprised they're even looking into the money laundering. |
| Posted by: Charles 2004-2-29 11:34:21 AM |
| #4 I'm giving serious thought to taking a step backwards and using my Grandfather's wind-up Surprise Meter - it's not very accurate but at least it works. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-2-29 10:24:48 AM |
| #3 Must have used a different audit team than the one they used on Yasser's accounts. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2004-2-29 10:21:40 AM |
| #2 isn't this reason enough to swoop in and snatch Muugumby and his fat walleted friends, I'm thinking of perhaps a 'multinationl' (no french though) operation involving say Delta and Brit SAS or SBS and, throw in a couple of AC-130's for cover and get 160th helos for the snatch squads, then we could show him on T.v having his teeth cleaned and hair deliced and watch the lefty's bleat and cry about it |
| Posted by: Jon Shep U.K 2004-2-29 8:46:33 AM |
| #1 that should be "siphon OFF" - sorry about that, I posted BC (before caffeine) |
| Posted by: rkb 2004-2-29 7:58:15 AM |