Watchdogs: US aid to Syria at high risk for fraud
US partners could do more to ensure that humanitarian assistance gets to the right people, the GAO told Congress.
The Obama administration has launched 25 investigations into alleged abuse of US assistance to Syria amid concerns that partners on the ground aren’t doing enough to prevent fraud, government watchdogs told Congress.
While the United States has provided more than $5 billion in humanitarian aid to date, it relies on third parties to distribute it inside the war-torn country. In a July 14 report to Congress, the Government Accountability Office said that many of those partners adequately plan for security hazards but not for the risk of fraud.
“Despite our goodwill, bad characters have taken advantage of the complex situation for personal gain, ultimately denying Syrian people the food, clothing, health care and other aid they urgently need,” US Agency for International Development (USAID) Inspector General Ann Calvaresi Barr said at a July 14 hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Middle East panel.
Barr said the agency has received 116 complaints of alleged abuse and opened 25 investigations. About two-thirds were related to theft and fraud schemes, including collusion, product substitution and false claims, rather than terrorist diversions.
