FREETOWN (Reuters) – Sierra Leone’s Chief Medical Officer and four other people have been acquitted of all charges relating to the disappearance of half a million dollars provided by the GAVI Alliance, a senior government official said.

Kisito Daoh was indicted along with 16 others after an internal audit revealed $523,303 unaccounted for from funds provided by Gavi, a vaccination provider launched in 2000 with a $750 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara, head of Sierra Leone’s Anti-Corruption Commission, said he was disappointed by the court’s verdict late on Thursday.

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