Johannesburg, Jan 25 (AP) More than 60per cent of contracts to help the South African government combat the COVID-19 pandemic have been irregular, an official report released Tuesday has revealed.

The country's Special Investigating Unit probed more than 4,500 contracts for the purchase of medical equipment and services worth about USD914 million and found that more than 2,800 of them are suspected to have been corrupt. Additional contracts are still under investigation.

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Releasing the report, President Cyril Ramaphosa lamented the extent of corruption during a pandemic.

“It is unacceptable that so many contracts associated with saving lives and protecting livelihoods were irregular, unlawful or fraudulent," said Ramaphosa. “This investigation demonstrates our determination to root out corruption and to deal with perpetrators.”

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He said that 386 cases have been referred for criminal prosecution and more than Rand 550 million (about USD35 million) worth of cash and assets have been recovered as a result of the investigations.

South Africa has seen the highest number of COVID-19 infections and deaths in Africa, with more than 3.5 million cases and 94,265 deaths. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)