Homs, Dec. 90 (SANA) Syria’s Central Agency for Financial Control said it has uncovered a serious corruption case involving manipulation of invoices for the purchase of medical supplies and equipment at Homs University Hospital, with the value of the violations estimated at millions of Syrian pounds.
In exclusive information to SANA, the agency said its Homs branch detected the case after a contractor supplying medical equipment submitted a formal report. The contractor stated that the hospital’s direct-purchase committee had requested inflating invoice values above real market prices by between 10 and 15 percent, in exchange for granting the supplier the largest share of the hospital’s orders.
According to the agency, the resulting financial differences from the inflated invoices were to be handed over to members of the procurement committee after the contractor received his dues through official channels. The methods used were aimed at circumventing applicable laws and regulations.
The agency confirmed that the report was handled in accordance with established legal procedures and that necessary measures were taken in coordination with the competent bodies. Official records were prepared, and members of the hospital’s procurement committee were arrested red-handed while receiving bribe payments derived from the manipulated invoice differences.
The suspects are to be referred to the competent judiciary to be held accountable under applicable laws, the authority said.
The Central Agency for Financial Control stressed that it will continue to carry out its oversight role with firmness and responsibility, pursuing all cases that affect public funds. It said it would not tolerate any violation or abuse of public trust, emphasizing that combating corruption, protecting public money, and strengthening accountability and transparency in public institutions are national priorities that allow no compromise. It noted that the most recent disclosure involved financial corruption amounting to about 8.49 billion Syrian pounds at the formerly known “Dar al-Baath,” dating back to the era of the deposed regime, as part of ongoing efforts to enhance transparency, accountability and the protection of public funds.
