UK to suspend aid if fraud found in any of its projects

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FE Report
The UK government will suspend aid if any of its projects being implemented in Bangladesh is found to be fraught with fraud, a British lawmaker warned Tuesday.
"It's our taxpayers' money. We can't tolerate any fraud," Malcolm Bruce, chair of the UK's international development committee, said.
"If we find any irregularities, we'll stop funding for projects," the UK politician said as he responded to a question how the British government could monitor the illegal use of aid and how it found its way into personal accounts.
The United Kindom remains one of major donors of Bangladesh and Mr. Bruce said his country plans to extend 126 million pounds in bilateral aid in 2009-10.
According to the DFID, the UK's support for the country amounted to 125 million pounds between April 2007 and March 2008.
Since 2005, Britain has provided over 350 million pounds for Bangladesh focussed on the reduction of extreme poverty, climate adaptation, education and health.
Mr Bruce urged the Bangladeshi people to provide evidence of graft and irregularities that were plaguing the UK-financed projects.
"If you have evidence of fraud, please do inform it to Chris Austin (DFID country head) or your government," he told a press briefing in the city.
His warning came as he and eight
other members of the parliament (MPs) concluded a two-week review and assessment on the scale and scope of the UK development programme.
The British Liberal Democrat lawmaker who led the nine-member team of British MPs came to the country to scrutinise the UK's partnership with Bangladesh and the work of the Department for International Development (DFID).
The parliamentary team's focus was mainly on social services, work with local communities, climate change, governance, private sector and aid effectiveness.
The delegation leader said the committee's report and all the evidence gathered are expected to be published early next year.
"We've already received written and verbal submissions from a range of sources, which are available online," he said.
The Liberal Democrat MP, however, made it clear that his country would continue to channel aid to Bangladesh's efforts to fight poverty and climate change.
Other members of the delegation include John Battle, Hugh Bayley, Nigel Evans, Mark Hendrick, Mark Lancaster, Virendra Dharma, Marsha Singh and Andrew Stunell.
The international development committee is appointed by the UK parliament to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the UK's Department for International Development (DFID).
The committee also takes an interest in the policies and procedures of the multilateral agencies and non-government organisations to which DFID contributes.
During its week-long tour, the team called on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, cabinet members and top officials, and also visited the UK-financed projects.