An employee of SNAT Medical Aid Scheme has been dismissed for allegedly stealing over E1.3 million.
The office administrator, who was employed in October 2022, allegedly stole money meant to be paid to service providers, which are private clinics. She remains a subject of investigation by the police.
Method of Alleged Embezzlement
She is accused of allegedly siphoning the money belonging to SNAT Med members on numerous occasions. In some instances, she reportedly transferred the money to her former husband’s bank account.
SNATMed is option 10 under Eswatini Med. Every month Eswatini Med would send a compiled list of all the health facilities that were owed by SNATMed, which is called ACB claims.
The employee’s job was to process that and forward it to the board to authorise payment. However, the woman would allegedly alter the bank accounts of the clinics that were supposed to be paid and put her former husband’s account number.
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It is alleged that the paperwork would bear the names of the clinics, but their account numbers would be replaced with the suspect husband’s.
Alleged Collusion and Personal Gain
It is alleged that she would then call the former husband and inform him that he should keep the money. She would claim the money was meant to pay some agents who were called foot soldiers. The agents were the ones selling and marketing SNAT Medical aid scheme to the public. However, it also transpired that the use of agents by the organisation was stopped sometime back.
“Everytime when she wanted the money, she would call her former husband to send it through e-wallet, she used it for her own personal gain,” claimed a source.
Audit Gaps and Discovery
In addition, it is alleged that since 2023 where the alleged theft started, the SNAT Medical aid scheme would get a clean audit without any detection that there was some money being embezzled.
This alone irked a number of the members, wondering if the audits were legit and questioning the authenticity and eligibility of the firms that audited the organisation.
It is alleged that it was until the clinics that were owed by the medical scheme started demanding their payments, however, they were told that they had been paid. One of the clinics which was allegedly owed over E76 000 made constant demands and requested the scheme to pay and giving them all the proof that they didn’t receive any payment.
Full-Scale Investigation Launched
That was when the scheme realised that there was something wrong and follow-ups were made in all the relevant departments, including Eswatini Med and the treasury.
After realising that the money was being misdirected, a full-scale investigation was allegedly launched with the police being roped in and it all led to the woman.
It is alleged that this year alone, the suspect stole over E700 000 in different instances. It is alleged that she only made three transactions to her bank account and the rest were made to her former husband’s.
Board Confirms Dismissal
SNAT Medical aid scheme Board Chairperson David Dlamini confirmed knowledge of the matter. He said the investigations were completed.
Dlamini said the implicated employee had been taken through a fair and just disciplinary process.
“The chairperson of the disciplinary process recommended that we dismiss the employee and we did that,” he said. He stated that the investigations by the police were still ongoing as they are still digging deeper on the disappearance of the money.
Police Investigation Underway
Meanwhile, Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Senior Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed that a case was opened and the police were still investigating.
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