Oxfam: Some Pakistani flood aid stolen

The worker who allegedly embezzled $260,000 intended for Pakistani flood victims has been fired, officials at the British charity Oxfam said. An independent financial investigation discovered the missing funds after it found falsified invoices and checks used to divert money in a pair of projects managed by a Pakistani agency working with the charity, The Daily Telegraph reported Saturday. Oxfam said it expects to recover the funds, which were allegedly embezzled by an employee working in an agency hired to distribute the aid money to flood victims. "We will recover every penny of this money and continue to ensure that donors' funds reach the people who need it most," said Neva Khan, Oxfam Great Britain's country director in Pakistan. "Oxfam has a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption and we, and all our partners, share a commitment to high legal, ethical and moral standards," Khan said. "Corruption is never acceptable. It, literally, takes away food from peoples' mouths; takes away clean water to give them life; and takes money away that could provide people with better hygiene and shelter." Oxfam ordered the investigation after it discovered irregularities in some accounts. Some 1,750 Pakistani's died and another 18 million were displaced in last year's widespread flooding, which some said was the worst natural disaster they had ever seen.