Red Cross: $6 million for Ebola fight stolen through fraud

Red Cross: $6 million for Ebola fight stolen through fraud:
"FREETOWN, Sierra Leone — Fraud by Red Cross workers and others wasted more than $6 million meant to fight the deadly Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the organization confirmed Saturday.
The revelations follow an internal investigation of how money was handled during the 2014-2016 epidemic that killed more than 11,000 people in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.
The disease erupted in Guinea and quickly spread to Sierra Leone and Liberia.
The international aid response was initially slow, and money once it arrived was often disbursed quickly in the rush to purchase supplies and get aid workers into the field.
As much as $2 million disappeared as the result of "likely collusion" between Red Cross staff and employees at a Sierra Leonean bank, the investigation found.
...IFRC also revealed evidence of fraud in the two other hardest-hit countries during the Ebola crisis.
In Liberia, investigators found "evidence of fraud related to inflated prices of relief items, payroll and payment of volunteer incentives." IFRC estimated the loss at $2.7 million.
And in Guinea, at least $1 million disappeared because of fraudulent billing practices by a customs clearance service provider..."
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