The office in charge of foreign aid still stuck on stupid…..
Foreign aid to most corrupt nations soars 30% in a year: £1.3bn is handed to 20 countries despite warnings it could be stolen or seized by terrorists
Islamist Al-Shabaab fighters patrol on the outskirts of Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, which has been identified as the worst offender for corruption but still received more than £120million in foreign aid
- Funding to the 20 countries has increased from £1billion since last year alone
- ‘Fantastically corrupt’ Afghanistan’s aid rose 50 percent to £300million
- Worst offenders Somalia received more than £120million despite terror links
- Theresa May has called to use the money to help solve UK’s elderly care crisis
Aid payments to the most corrupt countries soared by almost 30 per cent last year, despite warnings much of the cash could be squandered, stolen or seized by terrorists.
Britain gave a total of £1.3billion to the 20 most corrupt nations in 2015 – up from just over £1billion the previous year – figures reveal.
Big winners included Afghanistan, where aid rose by more than 50 per cent to £300million, despite David Cameron describing the country this year as ‘fantastically corrupt’.
Somalia, identified as the worst offender, received more than £120million, despite a review concluding there was a ‘certain’ risk of aid money being diverted by terrorist groups linked to Al Qaeda and Islamic State.
The figures come as Theresa May faces calls to put vulnerable British people first by using part of the £12.2billion foreign aid budget to tackle the elderly care crisis instead.
The Department for International Development (DfID) claims the rise in cash to corrupt states reflects the drive to focus aid on the most ‘fragile’ nations.
The respected campaign group Transparency International produces an annual table ranking countries by their level of corruption.
All but one of the 20 most corrupt receive at least some British aid money, with several receiving tens of millions of pounds a year.
