US implicated in Iraq reconstruction scam

[mouse7]

Iraq's interim trade ministry is investigating alleged corruption of up to $US40 million by members of the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority and senior ministry officials.

Trade minister Ali Allawi says he discovered a month ago that a contract for wooden doors worth about $US80 million had been manipulated.

"I think a third of it was stolen," he said, specifically estimating that "probably around 30, 40 million" disappeared.

Mr Allawi said the allegations mainly involve "contract manipulation and ... contract prioritisation" which he has asked a prosecutor to investigate.

"There is strong evidence ... of the implication of certain individuals, senior management who have since been asked to leave, together with, unfortunately, figures in the CPA," said Mr Allawi, who returned from his job as a London investment banker to take up his post in September...."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1017231.htm

Drip, drip, drip

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Silly Iraqis

Don't they realize the whole point of the invasion was to steal Iraqi oil and then give sweetheart 'reconstruction' contracts to Bush cronies?

[leftchick]

2. what shocks me is ....

only 40 mil?!? Surely it is closer to a Billion by now....

[Bandit]

3. "senior management who have since been asked to leave"

Okay you got your forty million dollars now leave so we can get someone else to funnel a few hundred million too. If you are gone we won't prosecute. Sorry it couldn't have been more but hey there is always Syria.

[htuttle]

4. My brother-in-law once served a week in jail...

...for inadvertantly walking out of a restaurant without paying the $18.00 bill (misunderstanding with friends about who was going to pick it up...long story involving alcohol...).

Maybe if he'd stolen a few million dollars they would have let him off? I'll tell him he should aim higher next time...

:shrug:

[underpants]

5. That is why Bremmer is there to maximize war profits

The so called "Ex diplomat" (see he once worked at the State Dept.) was sent to Iraq to consult with the Halliburtons and the Worldcoms to make sure they make as much money as is possible. You know war profiteering.

Molly Ivins wrote a great article on him back in May (can't find it now) detailing how he immediately set up consulting business after 9/11 to help demolition and construction companies make as much money as was possible after that horrible day.

This is no great surprise.

[ScrewyRabbit]

6. People should be outraged that there's even an $80m contract

for DOORS. That is either one helluva lot of doors, or someone is charging a huge markup...

[bspence]

7. Let's do the math on those doors

Contract for the doors: $80 Million
Average price for a cheap-o door in America: $75-$100. Let's say it's $100 to make it easy.

That's over one gazillion doors! There's no way they can use that many doors!

Ok, really, it's 800,000 doors. That's if we're talking doors made like Americans make them, with our computerized geeky mass production systems.

It sounds like a lot of doors, but what we need to know is how many buildings are being built. Let's just say that each building needs, on average, 10 doors (entrances, bathrooms, other). I'm guessing here. That's 80,000 new buildings in Iraq.

That's a lot of buildings. America doesn't get this kind of attention. Amazing how Republicans will kill you for putting tax dollars to work to build a better infrastructure to our own country, but they love how Bush is helping those poor Iraqis.

[dusty64]

8. I'm shocked.

:eyes: