Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) said yesterday that it had commenced an investigation into the utilisation of the N950 million COVID-19 intervention fund by the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital and all other health institutions that benefited from the fund provided by the federal government.
This follows an alleged violation of the provisions of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000 by the beneficiaries of the fund.
A statement by ICPC said: “An immediate investigation by the commission into the utilisation of the N950 million intervention fund by the teaching hospital in Port Harcourt has, therefore, been initiated”. It said the commission obtained documents from the Federal Ministry of Health, Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, and the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital that would assist in its investigation of the utilisation of the COVID-19 intervention fund by the health institutions.
The federal government had approved and released the sum of N950 million each to 52 federal teaching hospitals and medical centres under its economic sustainability plan for the building and furnishing of molecular laboratories, isolation centres, 10 bedded Intensive Care Units (ICU), and procurement of Personnel Protective Equipment (PPE).
