source
At the end of the Iraq war, vast sums of money were made available to the US-led provisional authorities, headed by Paul Bremer, to spend on rebuilding the country. By the time Bremer left the post eight months later, $8.8bn of that money had disappeared. Ed Harriman on the extraordinary scandal of Iraq's missing billions
Thursday July 7, 2005
The Guardian
When Paul Bremer, the American pro consul in Baghdad until June last year, arrived in Iraq soon after the official end of hostilities, there was $6bn left over from the UN Oil for Food Programme, as well as sequestered and frozen assets, and at least $10bn from resumed Iraqi oil exports. Under Security Council Resolution 1483, passed on May 22 2003, all these funds were transferred into a new account held at the Federal Reserve Bank in New York, called the Development Fund for Iraq (DFI), and intended to be spent by the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) "in a transparent manner ... for the benefit of the Iraqi people".
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There appears to have been good reason for the Americans to stall. At the end of June 2004, the CPA would be disbanded and Bremer would leave Iraq. There was no way the Bush administration would want independent auditors to publish a report into the financial propriety of its Iraqi administration while the CPA was still in existence and Bremer at its head still answerable to the press. So the report was published in July.
The auditors found that the CPA didn't keep accounts of the hundreds of millions of dollars of cash in its vault, had awarded contracts worth billions of dollars to American firms without tender, and had no idea what was happening to the money from the Development Fund for Iraq (DFI), which was being spent by the interim Iraqi government ministries.
This lack of transparency has led to allegations of corruption. An Iraqi hospital administrator told me that when he came to sign a contract, the American army officer representing the CPA had crossed out the original price and doubled it. The Iraqi protested that the original price was enough. The American officer explained that the increase (more than $1m) was his retirement package.
money trail
whether it be iraqi money or taxpayer money
their should be some mature accounting of all
funds.
This is just sloppy mismanagement from those
claiming to be professional businessmen.
8.8 billion dollars in Iraq where did it go!?
Discussion in 'Political Debate & Discussion' started by ASLANSPAL, Jul 27, 2005.
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Oh give it up ASLANSPAL, your guy lost just git over it. ;)
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Somebody's got to straighten out all the mess
and graft poncho...this administration bragged about how they have a CEO and a CFO but is so
inept it probably steals cable as well. I think
Larry the cable guy would be an marked improvement over this administration.
So Git-r-done..impeach, recall, retire, and arrest the money changers.
Free Cable for everyone! ;) -
Government spending is always a mess and subject to graft, corruption, and fraud. This story doesn't surprise me in the least. It's even worse when the spending takes place outside of our borders, as this story shows.
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Taking steps to counteract corruption should always be a part of the strategy in Iraq (or other similar situations). It has nothing to do with politics.
I support President Bush, but I'm not naive enough to suppose that everyone involved with the administration/reconstruction of Iraq is perfectly honest. -
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Lead post article: " ... had awarded contracts worth billions
of dollars to American firms ... "
KenH: "It's even worse when the spending takes place outside of our borders, as this story shows."
Uh, Brother KenH - read the article. Most of the spending
took place in the USofA.
Reminds me of the 1970s "T" shirt:
BILLIONS SPEND IN SPACE,
AND ALL I GOT WAS THIS LOUSY TEE SHIRT
Those billions of dollars were all spent right
here on earth. Most of the 'missing money' (strange name
for unaccounted for money) gone missing outside Iraq. -
It's just money that is Absent Without Leave. Maybe we'll see some forged documents to debunk this conspiracy theory once and for all, ya think ASLANSPAL?
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It has everything to do with politics, but it is not partisan - all parties participate to some extent. I sure even the Greens have their thieves and nepotitsts (they just don't have a lot of oppurtunity). -
I wondered where that extra 10% in my bank account came from! :D
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Recycled old news.
Poncho is right. Your guy lost. Give it up.
Think Kerry can take Hillary in 2008? -
So, it's old, recycled news and we should all just ignore it and brush it under the rug because "our guy" won? Fine. :rolleyes:
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BTW, my guy didn't win and I never figured he would so I haven't got anything to get over. But I'd still like to know why the CPA and the Pentagon can "lose" billions of dollars and no one ever seems to be held accountable.
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Any type of possible corruption to that degree should be taken seriously. A lone Guardian article should not.
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cost of mercs
Efforts to rebuild water, electricity and health networks in Iraq are being shortchanged by higher-than-expected costs to provide security and by generous financial awards to contractors, according to a series of reports by government investigators released yesterday.
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Some elite personnel make $33,000 a month
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The government does not know how much it spends on private security contractors in total, the GAO said. But it is more than expected. "Contractor officials acknowledge that the cost of private security services and security-related equipment, such as armored vehicles, has exceeded what they originally envisioned," the GAO said.
I say hand the job over to our
military .This is a waste of money and has
the smell of war profiteering. -
Well I bet none of it ended up in the DNC's war chest, like it would have during a previous administration.
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Blackwater Security is often mentioned amongst the evil mercenaries hired by the coalition. Let's look at their basic requirements:
YOU MUST MEET OR EXCEED ALL OF THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS: Must have minimum of one (1) year experience in providing protective security services in: special operations,US military special forces, US Secret Service, Department of State Diplomatic Security Service, or commercial executive protection services, law enforcement experience (i.e. US Military Police/Criminal Investigation Division, local & state law enforcement agencies).
PLUS these BSC Requirements:
Must be willing and able to deploy overseas for at least 6 months.
Must be a U.S. Citizen, proof of citizenship required (copy of Blue Tourist Passport)
Must be able to pass a general health physical.
Must be able to obtain a Secret Clearance.
Weight must be proportionate to height.
Must be able to pass a physical fitness test.
Must present and maintain a neat and clean appearance.
No history of major illness or mental disorder.
Experience must be verifiable, submit a DD-214 or other paperwork that can be
independently verified.
Must have an Honorable Discharge.
Must possess good written and verbal communications skills in English.
No felony or violent crime convictions (NO WAIVERS).
No personal bankruptcy or outstanding credit deliquency within seven years.
No DUI or illegal drug use history within seven years.
No spouse abuse or domestic violence conviction.