Drug activist spots corruption in funds distribution

Estonia's State Audit Office confirmed last week that 1.5 million kroons ($90,000) earmarked for a drug prevention project were misused.

The probe, initiated by Narva drug prevention activist Aleksan-der Laanemann, found that roughly a fifth of the total of 6.37 million kroons set aside to help fight drug addiction were misappropriated.

"For us, the people dealing with drug addicts directly, the results of the investigation are very sad. We're having a serious shortage of funds because the money the government gives to our needs simply does not reach us," said Laane-mann, a doctor and the head of the NGO My Pomozhem Tebe, or We Will Help You, that works with drug addicts in the poor northeastern region of Estonia.

It was also unclear on what basis two non-governmental organizations chosen by the Social Affairs Ministry to manage the funds, the Estonian Health Education Center and the Estonian Drug Prevention Foundation, chose which projects to give money to, reads the investigation conclusion.

The State Audit Office was also annoyed by high management costs. EHEC spent 21 percent of the whole sum on management, although 5 percent should had been enough, while EDPF's costs were 10.7 percent instead of the allocated 2.5 percent.

The national corruption watchdog passed the investigation results to the police, but some of the money seems to have disappeared for good, according to auditor general Juri Korge.

For example, the fund management council decided to give 120,000 kroons to the Narva and Ahtme town hospitals to carry out group therapy sessions for drug addicts, but the money never reached the hospitals and no patients expressed an interest in taking the courses, according to the report.

Georgi Belotserkovski, chief of the Ahtme town hospital, said some drug addicts came to the hospital for the course but left soon after without completing it.

"They lost interest as they learned they had to do something at the course, actively interact with the doctors," he said.

According to Korke, EDFP signed seven subcontracts with individuals who did not officially receive any grants from the fund management council. For example, a Mihail Goncharov received 70,000 kroons for distribution of information leaflets and lectures in 11 schools in Narva, and Tatyana Megerova from the Narva drug and alcohol rehabilitation center received 100,000 kroons for constructing a closed commune for drug addicts and alcoholics.

Laanemann said the investigation showed that no medical treatment projects from the northeast received financial support in 2001 while rehabilitation services received a lot.

"Rehabilitation of a drug addict without prior medical treatment is useless," he said.

The State Audit Office sent a number of recommendations to Social Affairs Minister Siiri Oviir, asking her to make public all the drug prevention projects by providing details, formulating precise requirements for participants and organizers, and working out a penalty system for managers who misuse funds. The ministry accepted the recommendations.

The budget of the drug and alcohol prevention program has been about 6 million kroons for the last several years.

"That is why some projects do not receive any money. The drug problem is growing but the funds are not," explained Ellu Eik, curator of the program from the Social Affairs Ministry.

Laanemann said he was sure the State Audit Office interference would do the drug prevention program good.