Forget Ferrero Rocher-type receptions, embassies told

Ireland’s ambassadors to developing nations have been warned to switch their attention from “Ferrero Rocher-style receptions” to better control of finances in the wake of the €4m Ugandan aid fraud scandal.

Members of the Dáil’s influential Public Accounts Committee questioned the priorities of embassy staff as they branded the Department of Foreign Affairs aid tracking systems “lax”.

A committee inquiry found that an “elaborate” swindle within the office of the Ugandan prime minister, which saw €12m of foreign aid — €4m of it Irish — siphoned off, has acted as a “wake-up call” for diplomats left in “shock” by the crime, which was detected by Ugandan officials.