Global Fund sacks Inspector General

By SOLA OGUNDIPE

Inspector General of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Mr John Parsons, has been sacked.

It was gathered that the Board’s decision came after a careful review of his performance, which was found to be unsatisfactory.

Parsons was responsible for overseeing audits and investigations by the Office of the Inspector General, whose mission is to provide the Global Fund with independent and objective assurance over the design and effectiveness of controls in place to manage risks affecting programs supported by the Global Fund.

In a statement, the Board confirmed its full support for an independent and strong Office of the Inspector General, noting that  robust audits and investigations are essential to the health of the Global Fund, to root out instances of financial impropriety and to assure donors and implementers that money is properly accounted for.

The Board said it made its decision based on factors including a performance review; an independent external peer review of the audit function; and a report to the Board by its Audit and Ethics Committee.

Further, it said that it recognized the need to maintain continuity in the work of the audits and investigations currently underway, while the Global Fund conducts a search for a new Inspector General.

It will employ a similar search process to the effective and successful recruitment it recently completed to select a new Executive Director. The Board expects the search for a new Inspector General to take about six months. An interim Inspector General will be appointed shortly.