Auditors Can't Account for Iraq Spent Funds

[DuctapeFatwa]

U.S. and Iraqi officials doled out hundreds of millions of dollars in oil proceeds and other moneys for Iraqi projects earlier this year, but there was little effort to monitor or justify the expenditures, according to an audit released Thursday.

Files that could explain many of the payments are missing or nonexistent, and contracting rules were ignored, according to auditors working for an agency created by the United Nations.

"We found one case where a payment ($2.6 million) was authorized by the CPA (Coalition Provisional Authority) senior adviser to the Ministry of Oil," the report said. "We were unable to obtain an underlying contract" or even "evidence of services being rendered."

In a program to allow U.S. military commanders to pay for small reconstruction projects, auditors questioned 128 projects totaling $31.6 million. They could find no evidence of bidding for the projects or, alternatively, explanations of why they were awarded without competition.


http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/news/politics/9920929.htm

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. You could see this coming even before the first "contracts"

were written. The entire enterprise has been done without any oversight, organization, management or common sense. It has been a circus of the first water and there is no end in sight. Imagine how much of this money has ended up in the hands of bullshit quick buck artists and crooks, probably 99% of it.

[cthrumatrix]

6. there is zero transparency with $$$$$ with this admin.... fricking crooks

[Roy]

18. Shout it out.....

" On the net: Report is on the House Government Reform Committee Democratic site:"

yeah, that's good, but it needs to be on my TV 24/7.

[The Magistrate]

2. Honestly, Mr. Fatwa....

We can hardly expect to find "stolen" and "bribe for loyalty" as actual entries on the books, though these fools seem to have teetered damn near the edge of that.

"It is worse than criminal; it is incompetent."

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[DuctapeFatwa]

4. Hey, Magistrate!

How have you been? Still committing crimes against peanut butter with Evil in a Jar? :hi:

[The Magistrate]

5. As Well As Can Be Expected, Sir

And still enjoying the height of Hoosier haute cuisine, at least when no one is looking....

A pleasure to have you back about the place, my friend!

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"

[peacetalksforall]

3. Think Kerry or Edwards will mention this?

[KoKo]

9. You've got to be kidding...This is a "don't rock the sinking boat"

election...No attacks by Dems about anything....

[AlCzervik]

7. it would appear that they are covering up

i know the wingnuts are dying to nail the french on this but i guess the cost of exposing all guilty parties isnt worth the cost to them.

[MisterP]

16. of COURSE they can attack French corporations' alleged dealing

and ignore American corporations' clear-as-day dealing; we're 20 minutes into the future here and the networks are in the corporations' back pockets.

[VegasWolf]

8. What about under Halliburton's pillow? n/t

New Information Shows Bush Indecisive, Paranoid, Delusional

[FlemingsGhost]

10. More and more, this election is a can't miss for BushCo.

If they "win":

"Great! The gravytrain rolls on ..."

If they lose:

"Oh well ... let the idiot Democrats clean up the mess. We cashed in, 'Big Time,' as Dick likes to say. Now is as good as anytime to leave the scene of the crime. Let Kerry spend his whole term unraveling the mess. We'll be back in '08 to do it all over again."

(edited for clarity)

[LSK]

11. on yahoo now

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041015/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/iraq_funds_audit_1

Give the story a 5.

[Tarheel_Dem]

12. done......

kick for the late night crew. I think it's being freeped, @ 340 votes, only a 2.40 rating?

[lovuian]

13. Its one Big Cookie Jar and Everybody is stealing from it

and Nobody cares cause its Iraq's and US money !@#$%^& !!!

[KittyWampus]

14. Kick, Those Troops Who Refused To Go On Mission Deserve To Know

where the money is.

[missile_bender]

15. The Kurds were paid off

so they wouldn't attack Turkey, I betcha.

[MADem]

17. Maybe the money went HERE!!!!!

http://abcnews.go.com/2020/News/story?id=169246&page=1

A Saudi prince moved roughly two tons of cocaine from Colombia to an airport outside Paris, using his diplomatic status and a royal family 727 jet, U.S. and French law enforcement authorities told ABC News.

"It doesn't happen without him," said Tom Raffanello of the Drug Enforcement Agency in Miami. "He is the key co-conspirator. He's the straw that stirs the drink, he made it happen. No plane, no dope. Dope stays in Colombia."

Gotta be sure weewee gets his cut...maybe that is why he was so animated in St. Louis????