When Suppliers and Insiders Shared the Same Pocket
In every hospital, procurement is the artery that keeps the system alive, buying medicines, equipment, and supplies so doctors can save lives.
But at Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH), the National Audit Office found that this artery had been clogged with corruption.
What auditors discovered in their April 2024 Management Letter (Findings 3.5 & 3.6) was not just negligence; it was a coordinated breach of trust between insiders and suppliers.
Finding 3.5 — The False Face at the Interview
During the hiring of a new Senior Procurement Officer, auditors uncovered that Ms Nyima Jatta, then a procurement staff member, misrepresented her professional qualifications during the recruitment process.
“The Senior Procurement Officer presented falsified documentation during her recruitment process, contrary to the Public Service Rules and EFSTH recruitment policy.”
NAO EFSTH Report 2024, Finding 3.5 (p. 16)
The NAO concluded that her appointment was obtained under false pretences, and that the hospital’s management failed to verify her claimed credentials before confirmation.
This lapse opened the door for deeper collusion, which the following finding exposed.
Finding 3.6 — The Supplier Connection
Once in post, the same Senior Procurement Officer became central to a pattern of payments and contract approvals that raised serious red flags.
The auditors found that she colluded with suppliers to divert public funds through fraudulent transactions.
“There was evidence of collusion between the Senior Procurement Officer and suppliers to divert public funds from the operations of EFSTH.”
Finding 3.6 (p. 18)
Auditors traced payments made to multiple vendors whose invoices carried matching handwriting and identical formatting, a telltale sign that the same person prepared the documents.
Some of the flagged suppliers included:
• NAB Enterprises,
• BBM Trading, and
• S.B. General Suppliers,
All linked to suspicious payments totalling hundreds of thousands of dalasis for goods the hospital never received.
How the Scheme Worked
- Procurement requests were initiated internally for routine supplies.
- The same insiders produced fake quotations, sometimes three different vendor names, but one handwriting.
- Purchase orders and payment vouchers were processed without evidence of delivery or inspection.
- Finance Department, led at the time by Director Lamin Ceesay, paid the invoices based on those approvals.
The auditors concluded that EFSTH’s procurement process was “compromised and deliberately manipulated to facilitate the misappropriation of public funds.”
Laws and Regulations Breached
• GPPA Act 2022 § 52(1) — prohibits any public officer from participating in procurement where a personal interest exists.
• Public Finance Act 2014 § 46 — requires accounting officers to ensure that expenditure is properly authorised and supported.
• EFSTH Procurement Policy Manual — mandates supplier vetting, delivery inspection, and segregation of duties between procurement, stores, and finance.
All three lines of defence were bypassed.
The Auditors’ Recommendation
“We recommend disciplinary action against the Senior Procurement Officer and referral of the matter to the relevant investigative authorities for recovery and prosecution.”
The auditors further urged the Board of EFSTH to overhaul the procurement unit and ensure all staff positions are verified for authenticity and competence.
Management’s Response
In its written reply, hospital management acknowledged the irregularities but stated that Ms Jatta had since been redeployed and that “efforts were underway to strengthen the procurement control environment.”
No evidence of recovery or sanctions was provided to auditors at the time of reporting.
The People’s Questions for FPAC, GPPA & the Ministry of Health
- Who verified the credentials of the Senior Procurement Officer before her appointment?
- How many fake suppliers have been paid since 2022?
- Why has no criminal referral been made despite the NAO’s clear recommendation?
- What systems are now in place to prevent another “quotation forgery” scandal?
The People’s Verdict
When one officer can sign both sides of a deal, corruption no longer hides; it becomes the process.
EFSTH’s procurement scandal shows how a single dishonest recruit can poison an entire institution’s credibility.
Until those who profited from these fake contracts face justice, the hospital will continue to bleed from the inside, while patients pay the price.
By Jallow Modou, Washington D.C.
Financial Analyst | Making the Audit Speak for the People
