Quick, Somebody Alert Norm Coleman!

"Light the Twat Signal!"

U.S. Officials Suspected of Embezzlement in Iraq
Nearly $100 million in reconstruction funds is unaccounted for, investigators say.

May 5, 2005

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.

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.

A few other U.S. officials in Iraq have drawn the scrutiny of investigators for smaller incidents, though none have been charged. In the cases now under investigation, the report notes questionable accounting practices by several officers involving millions of dollars over a 16-month period ending in October.

Investigators are looking at a "handful" of possible suspects, said Jim Mitchell, a spokesman for the special inspector general's office. He noted that the inquiry was in an early stage, saying only that the discrepancies uncovered by the auditors warranted referral to criminal investigators.

He also said it was unclear whether the U.S. officials operated in concert, since they served at different times.

Actually, there are reports that have been made that billions of dollars in missing Iraqi reconstruction money have come in (considerable considering the fact that not much in reconstruction money can actually be spent in Iraq, the land of peace, traquility and freedom marching).

POW! BANG! OOF!