The Road Accident Fund (RAF) has taken significant action by placing four senior executives on precautionary suspension with immediate effect.
The suspended officials include the acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Chief Governance Officer, and Head of the Office of the CEO.
This move comes as the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) instituted an inquiry last month to look into maladministration, financial impropriety, and misuse of public funds at the RAF.
In a statement, the RAF said the precautionary suspension was taken to allow for an independent and unhindered investigation into certain administrative and governance matters within the organisation.
“These precautionary measures do not in any way constitute a finding of wrongdoing against the affected officials but are intended to ensure the integrity and transparency of the investigative process. However, it reflects the board’s determination to act in the best interests of the organisation, safeguard public trust, and uphold the highest standards of ethical conduct in the management of public funds,” RAF said.
The board stressed that the suspensions do not equate to an admission of guilt or misconduct. Rather, they reflect a commitment to maintaining the integrity of the investigation, which has been ongoing for several weeks.
In addition, RAF said interim arrangements have been put in place to ensure business continuity and that the entity continues to deliver on its mandate.
On Friday, a former senior manager at RAF shed light on why disciplinary proceedings took an extremely long period of time, with employees being on suspension with full pay.
Testifying at the Scopa parliamentary inquiry into the affairs of the RAF, Ian Barriel said one of the reasons was that the entity outsourced the investigations.
“We had a panel of investigators from a legal and compliance perspective. They could do any investigation where there is serious misconduct and it’s a major offence, and then in itself, takes time as the charges would be brought about post the investigation,” Barriel said.
He also said the RAF would appoint an independent chairperson for a disciplinary hearing, and the matter would be initiated internally.
It had found scores of employees on suspension as far back as 2021 and who were yet to be served with charges to appear in disciplinary hearings.
This came at a huge cost to the RAF as the employees were paid, and other people acted in their places while paid acting allowances.
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