The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is set to work with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate alleged mismanagement and diversion of funds provided for United States-backed health programmes in Nigeria.
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The investigation is expected to cover organisations and groups that received funding under programmes supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), particularly projects focused on HIV and tuberculosis interventions.
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The proposed collaboration was discussed during a meeting between officials of both agencies in Lagos as Nigeria and the United States seek to strengthen cooperation in tackling financial crimes involving international funds.
The EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, disclosed this in a statement following a visit by the FBI Assistant Law Enforcement Attaché, Marcus Maccain, to the EFCC Acting Zonal Director in Lagos.
Maccain reportedly requested closer cooperation between the two agencies to assist ongoing investigations into financial irregularities involving organisations that implemented US-funded programmes in Nigeria.
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The FBI official explained that the investigation would examine how funds provided for the affected programmes were managed, particularly money that remained with implementing organisations after some of the USAID-supported programmes were terminated.
The agencies are expected to examine the financial records of organisations involved in the programmes and determine whether any funds were improperly handled or diverted.
The development comes amid increased efforts by Nigerian and American authorities to improve cooperation in investigating financial crimes involving foreign-funded projects.
The proposed probe is also expected to help establish what happened to funds released before the termination of some USAID-supported programmes and determine whether any financial misconduct occurred during or after their implementation.
The FBI and EFCC will therefore work together to trace the management of the funds, identify any irregularities and establish whether individuals or organisations may have breached financial regulations.
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