U.S. Officials Suspected of Embezzlement in Iraq

[seriousstan]

WASHINGTON — The U.S. government has opened a criminal inquiry into suspected embezzlement by officials who failed to account for almost $100 million they disbursed for Iraqi reconstruction projects, federal investigators said Wednesday.

Auditors have been unable to fully document how the money was allocated to Iraqi workers by a small group of officials working from a U.S. outpost in Hillah, according to an audit report released Wednesday by Stuart W. Bowen Jr., the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction.

The auditors found "significant" problems in the Hillah office, including one case in which an official fired for mishandling funds was allowed to continue disbursing money nearly a month after his termination.

The case is the first time U.S. government officials have been investigated for a suspected major corruption scheme involving the Iraq reconstruction. The rebuilding effort has been marred by allegations against Iraqis as well as contractors from the United States and elsewhere.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/iraq/la-fg-fraud5may05,0,7432321.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[Skink]

1. Good luck...

You'll never find it.:headbang: Kind of like the social security trust fund.:applause:

Want some wood?

[saigon68]

6. The Bush Criminals and their allies know how to STEAL

LOL

And the sheep sleep ---oblivious to it all.

Hey !!! Who got voted off amerikan idolatry???

[atreides1]

12. They Do Know How to Steal

The problem they have is they don't know how to cover it up.

But when you know that any investigation will be done by friends, why do you have to really cover anything up.

[KansDem]

19. Yeah, how do you know the Vice President is a crook...

...when 7 out of 10 don't know who he is?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=3597519&mesg_id=3597519&page=

[grasswire]

22. can't believe this story dropped to page two already

This is important stuff. Keep it kicked.

[grasswire]

23. btw....Michael Ledeen's daughter...

...was part of the group of people passing 'round money over there. I wonder if she's part of the corruption? She's a Freeper.

[grasswire]

2. oh look

"The reconstruction funds that were examined came from seized assets of the former regime of Saddam Hussein and from Iraqi oil revenue, not from U.S. taxpayer money."

Sure. That's the ticket. Um-hum. They're forgetting that money is fungible, aren't they?

[oblivious]

3. At least 4 billion of Iraq money lost (stolen?) by the CPA.

Iraq: the missing billions
23 Oct 2003

A staggering US$4 billion in oil revenues and other Iraqi funds earmarked for the reconstruction of the country has disappeared into opaque bank accounts administered by the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), the US-controlled body that rules Iraq. By the end of the year, if nothing changes in the way this cash is accounted for, that figure will double.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/fromthefield/106690354068.htm

Google 'Iraq missing billions'
http://www.google.com.hk/search?hl=en&q=iraq+missing+billions&btnG=Search&meta=

[wellst0nev0ter]

8. Thought The Figure Jumped To $8.8 Billion

you know, more than the money involved in the Oil-for-Food witch hunt.

[UpInArms]

14. Audit: U.S. lost track of $9 billion in Iraq funds

Pentagon, Bremer dispute inspector general's report

http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/01/30/iraq.audit/

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Nearly $9 billion of money spent on Iraqi reconstruction is unaccounted for because of inefficiencies and bad management, according to a watchdog report published Sunday.

An inspector general's report said the U.S.-led administration that ran Iraq until June 2004 is unable to account for the funds.

"Severe inefficiencies and poor management" by the Coalition Provisional Authority has left auditors with no guarantee the money was properly used," the report said.

"The CPA did not establish or implement sufficient managerial, financial and contractual controls to ensure that funds were used in a transparent manner," said Stuart W. Bowen Jr., director of the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction.

<snip>

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told CNN that the provisional authority was operating under "extraordinary conditions" and relied on Iraqi ministries to manage development money that was transferred to them.

...more...

Pentagon and Bremer tried to blame this on the Iraqis - the truth is that they are the chief engineers of the thievery.

[KansDem]

20. I would tend to think that $9 billion would buy an awwwwfully lot of...

"inefficiencies and bad management." So much so that this kind of thing should have been nipped in the bud looooong before now.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. Really? You don't say

our pure wonderful officials embezzle funds? Nah, you must hate America

:sarcasm:

[vota]

5. British Broadcasting Corporation covered this

I heard a pretty good expose of this on BBC Radio 4's File on 4 programme on 6th February (not sure whether that was a repeat or the original transmission). I looked on the BBC site just now but couldn't find the transcript.

I made a recording of it, which I could convert to .mp3 or similar and send to the Democratic Underground site, if anyone wants it. Please give me an idea of file size required, and to whom I should send it.

There seemed to be a hell of a lot of corruption! 'Significant' is an understatement.

[Nothing Without Hope]

31. I think a lot of people would like to see it. Here is a description and a

transcript of the show:

Description:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/file_on_4/4216853.stm

Transcript:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/08_02_05_fileonfouriraq.pdf

The chief video guru of DU is dzika. I don't know the copyright status of your recording or whether it would be legal to post it in video format. Maybe he would know. What he COULD do (if he has both the time and inclination) is post a clip of, say 10 minutes of high points. That would be great. You can private-message him to ask if he is interested.

[vota]

33. BBC File on 4 expose

Thank you for that info, NWH. I suppose from the researcher's point of view the link to the transcript (which you have helpfully supplied) will be enough. However, it's possible that the recording might be useful to play on radio stations, &c. (It's a sound recording only, not a video.)

In theory the BBC could object on copyright grounds. However, since they don't seem to be making money out of that particular radio transmission any more, it's unlikely that serious consequences would follow, even if they DID object. Which they're not likely to do unless someone tried to make money out of it themselves!

I wasn't sure how to send a message to dzika directly, so emailed the site using the usual address given under 'contact us', with a note at the start of the email saying it was for dzika.

Will check my emails to see if anything has been sent.

[leftchick]

7. paging Viceroy Bremer!

Oh thats right! He has long ago secrected away his loot into some Swiss bank and received the Medal of Freedom for it! Silly me!

:puke:

[Starfury]

9. U.S. Officials Suspected of Embezzlement in Iraq

Edit: Apologies for the duplicate thread.... :(

WASHINGTON — The U.S. government has opened a criminal inquiry into suspected embezzlement by officials who failed to account for almost $100 million they disbursed for Iraqi reconstruction projects, federal investigators said Wednesday.

Auditors have been unable to fully document how the money was allocated to Iraqi workers by a small group of officials working from a U.S. outpost in Hillah, according to an audit report released Wednesday by Stuart W. Bowen Jr., the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction.

The auditors found "significant" problems in the Hillah office, including one case in which an official fired for mishandling funds was allowed to continue disbursing money nearly a month after his termination.

The case is the first time U.S. government officials have been investigated for a suspected major corruption scheme involving the Iraq reconstruction. The rebuilding effort has been marred by allegations against Iraqis as well as contractors from the United States and elsewhere.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/iraq/la-fg-fraud5may05,0,7432321.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[izzie]

10. I wrote about this once before. Look back at what was said On Iraq

I think they said that young Republicans were put into these jobs as training( To take tax payers money maybe? ) and who ever wrote the story said we could see the mess they would make. I sure could. Hand out millions to a man with out a path to go down and you and I both know the money will often stick to his wallet. And I do not care if they were all 'faith based' Republicans..

[MGKrebs]

13. "Managing a $13 Billion Budget With No Experience"

"They had been hired to perform a low-level task: collecting and organizing statistics, surveys and wish lists from the Iraqi ministries for a report that would be presented to potential donors at the end of the month. But as suicide bombs and rocket attacks became almost daily occurrences, more and more senior staffers defected. In short order, six of the new young hires found themselves managing the country's $13 billion budget, making decisions affecting millions of Iraqis."

"For months they wondered what they had in common, how their names had come to the attention of the Pentagon, until one day they figured it out: They had all posted their resumes at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative-leaning think tank."

"The group's primary responsibility was to hand out money. Each month, it sent out authorizations for the release of several hundred million dollars for government employees' salaries, reconstruction projects and sundry other expenses."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A48543-2004May22?language=printer

[UpInArms]

17. reminds me of something my mother told me

she worked in Tulsa for the Oral Roberts Foundation in the 50s - and all the employees had to put their personal bags and coats in a locker outside the room where they worked. They could not wear any clothing that had pockets - this was done so that none of the cash ever found its way out of the coffers.

hmmm...

letting unguided children play with taxpayers' dollars without supervision or guidelines :eyes:

[Fridays Child]

11. No names. Are identities being protected for some reason?

It seems a little odd.

[gratuitous]

15. I smell ambassadorships!

Hoo boy, Bremer got the Medal of Honor for his embezzlement; you have to think that the unnamed U.S. government officials are at least in line for embassy appointments.

[Doctor_J]

16. Gee, this is a shocker!

the Bush family and friends stealing taxpayer money. :eyes:

[ekelly]

18. And there you have it

"Auditors have been unable to fully document how the money was allocated to Iraqi workers by a small group of officials working from a U.S. outpost in Hillah,......"

The scapegoats have been identified.

Just like the few rotten apples at Abu Gharaib (sp?)

[KansDem]

21. And these are the same people who want to handle our Social Security?

NOOOOOOO THANKS! :grr:

[Fire Walk With Me]

30. Exactly! Always bring up the missing 9 billion article in response to SS!

[daleo]

24. A low-level bookkeeper will be sacrificed

Maybe a mailroom clerk too, if the "prison abuse" scandals are anything to go by.

[earth mom]

34. No doubt. Or maybe they can pin it someone famous...how about

Kerry, or Michael Moore or Martha Stewart?
I wouldn't be surprised if the bastards found a way to nail those the reich wing HATES the most. :sarcasm:

[Norquist Nemesis]

25. Was this Wolfowitz hands-on training? n/t

[goodhue]

26. kick

[KansDem]

27. What is most troubling about this...

...is that it is WE THE PEOPLE have to pee in a jar, submit a hair sample, have our credit checked before we can be considered for a job! Even minimum-wage jobs!

We are not THE CRIMINALS!

[jazzjunkysue]

28. More Faith Based Pirating. Aarrrrrgggh!

[shanti]

29. tip of the iceberg

:grr:

[Megahurtz]

32. Ya think?

Although the guys that are being investigated are probably scapegoats for those who really did it. They need their fall guys ya know!