U.S. cannot account for billion-dollar Iraq contract

[babylonsister]

U.S. cannot account for billion-dollar Iraq contract

By David Morgan | October 23, 2007

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The State Department does not know specifically what it received for a billion-dollar contract with security firm DynCorp International to provide training services for Iraqi police, a U.S. watchdog agency said on Tuesday.

The Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) said it was forced to suspend its audit of the DynCorp contract after administration officials told investigators they had no confidence in their own accounting records.

The inspector general said the agency had not validated the accuracy of invoices received before October 2006 and described bills and supporting documents as being in disarray.

Among the problems identified before the audit was suspended were duplicate payments, the purchase of a never-used $1.8 million X-ray scanner and payments of $387,000 to house DynCorp officials in hotels rather than other available accommodation.

The inspector general blamed the problems on long-standing contract administration problems at the State Department agency responsible for the contract -- the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, or INL.

"As a result, INL does not know specifically what it received for most of the $1.2 billion in expenditures under its DynCorp contract for the Iraqi Police Training Program. INL's prior lack of controls created an environment vulnerable to waste and fraud," SIGIR said in an interim review.

more...

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2007/10/23/us_cannot_account_for_billion_dollar_iraq_contract/

[indepat]

1. Gee, hope no one ever gets any bright idea that it's easy to scam Uncle Sam's taxpayers

[babylonsister]

2. Maybe 'this' is why we need an extra $46B? nt

[flashl]

3. Amazing, is it not?

From day one, billions disappeared and continues to disappear in the name of the Iraq "war.” Yet, "we" are the "advanced" information technology society.

[babylonsister]

4. And blind eyes are being turned while bank bags are being opened. nt

[Horse with no Name]

9. To believe that this is a one time occurrence is naive

However, to believe it may have happened 46 times is probably closer to the truth.
You are absolutely correct.
Bush is out of money in Iraq because they are siphoning it off to do God knows what evil.

[Pooka Fey]

5. That would suck royally! Luckily we have a Democratic Congress to protect us from being scammed

by the private defense contractors (if anyone ever did get the idea that it would be easy to rip off American taxpayers).

(((sigh)))

[Beerboy]

6. Typical. n/t.

[OneBlueSky]

7. a billion here, a billion there, pretty soon you're talkin' real money . . . n/t

.

[babylonsister]

8. pm kick

[Booster]

10. God, can you imagine the outrage by the Repugs if this was a

Dem president? It boggles the mind how they can sit on their asses and not say a word about this. Amazing.