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Audit Questions Iraqi Expenditures

By TChris, Section War In Iraq
Posted on Mon Jan 31, 2005 at 02:19:00 PM EST
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by TChris

An audit has raised questions about the $8.8 billion disbursed by the American occupation authority that governed Iraq until the middle of last year. Much of the money was transferred to Iraqi ministries with no budget or procedures to account for its use.

The report does not cite direct evidence of corruption with the Iraqi ministries but notes, among other examples, that one ministry received money to pay 8,206 guards while the presence of only 602 guards in that ministry could be verified.

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    Audit Questions Iraqi Expenditures | 16 comments (16 topical)
    Re: Audit Questions Iraqi Expenditures (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Jan 31, 2005 at 02:36:49 PM EST
    Payola by any other name, would still be corrupt.

    Re: Audit Questions Iraqi Expenditures (none / 0) (#2)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Jan 31, 2005 at 04:50:52 PM EST
    That was the ministry that was being run by the Family. The Soprano Family.

    Re: Audit Questions Iraqi Expenditures (none / 0) (#3)
    by Johnny on Mon Jan 31, 2005 at 06:35:11 PM EST
    Huh. And so close on the heels of freedom.

    Re: Audit Questions Iraqi Expenditures (none / 0) (#4)
    by rob on Mon Jan 31, 2005 at 10:35:17 PM EST
    To be just, you should include at least a link to Mr. Bremer's rebuttal. In essence, he says that you can't ask warlords for receipts. When the Iraqis asked for money to pay guards, the CPA payed it. To not do so, he argues, would have made the situation exponentially more unstable. (I'm looking for a link...bear with me). Could we have accounted for the money better? You bet. Should we have? Probably. Was his decision logically sound? I think so. At least the American media is not reporting it as theft. Check out Al Jazeerah. Al Jazeerah link Rob

    Re: Audit Questions Iraqi Expenditures (none / 0) (#5)
    by scarshapedstar on Mon Jan 31, 2005 at 11:03:33 PM EST
    It's too bad the Republicans don't feel it's necessary to make fake news reports to educate the public on this issue.

    Re: Audit Questions Iraqi Expenditures (none / 0) (#6)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Feb 01, 2005 at 12:38:03 AM EST
    If you want an even handed view of the US (mis)management of Iraqi funds post-invasion listen to the BBC's File on Four. But then why would you care to listen if you are a Republican? Every sensible Republican knows the BBC just tells leftie liberal lies...

    Re: Audit Questions Iraqi Expenditures (none / 0) (#7)
    by john horse on Tue Feb 01, 2005 at 04:14:25 AM EST
    Bremer disputes this report about questionable audit practices in Iraq. According to Bremer, Western-style accounting controls were in place. Unfortunately, they were the same type of accounting controls used at Enron and Worldcom.

    Re: Audit Questions Iraqi Expenditures (none / 0) (#8)
    by kdog on Tue Feb 01, 2005 at 06:33:40 AM EST
    That was the ministry that was being run by the Family. The Soprano Family
    . I'd take a mafia family over a gov't bueracracy anyday. The mafia has more integrity.

    Re: Audit Questions Iraqi Expenditures (none / 0) (#9)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Feb 01, 2005 at 06:40:43 AM EST
    I believe that Halliburton got 1.7 billion of the 8 plus billion. Do they fall in the warlord category? We can't get receipts from Halliburton? Here it is folks. This is an important part of the motivation for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. There is a lot of money to be made in lighting off the big fireworks and an opportunity to really make the dough by just stealing it under the cover of the smoke and flash. Too bad it's hard on the participants who stand too close.

    Re: Audit Questions Iraqi Expenditures (none / 0) (#10)
    by kdog on Tue Feb 01, 2005 at 08:23:21 AM EST
    The ultimate insult....destroy the infrastructure and then outsourcing the rebuilding work. I say, Let the Iraqis get the rebuilding work and we foot the bill (break it, buy it). Unless Bush/Cheney/Halliburton expect us to believe there are no carpenters, plumbers, masons, and engineers in Iraq.

    Re: Audit Questions Iraqi Expenditures (none / 0) (#11)
    by kdog on Tue Feb 01, 2005 at 10:36:23 AM EST
    Wait, it may be true there are no tradesmen left in Iraq, they could have been killed in the bombings.

    Re: Audit Questions Iraqi Expenditures (none / 0) (#12)
    by rob on Tue Feb 01, 2005 at 11:47:01 AM EST
    scarshapedstar...I'm afraid I don't understand what you are trying to insinuate...no sarcasm there...I'm just not tracking... "It's too bad the Republicans don't feel it's necessary to make fake news reports to educate the public on this issue."

    Re: Audit Questions Iraqi Expenditures (none / 0) (#13)
    by rob on Tue Feb 01, 2005 at 11:48:32 AM EST
    Republic of Palau...just as every Democrat "knows" Fox News is a Republican outlet for propaganda? If this generalization held, I wouldn't be reading this blog. Rob

    Re: Audit Questions Iraqi Expenditures (none / 0) (#14)
    by rob on Tue Feb 01, 2005 at 11:51:48 AM EST
    conscious angel...from what I've read, the 8 billion is money actually transferred to the Iraqis. The Haliburton money is on top of that. If I may make a generalization, you all post with a large degree of sarcasm while berating the "Republicans" or "Bush". This undermines any logical argument you put forth.

    Re: Audit Questions Iraqi Expenditures (none / 0) (#15)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Feb 01, 2005 at 01:12:00 PM EST
    Depressing but utterly predictable. Who can really doubt that there are many, many corporate and private American hands in the Iraqi cash register? Personally I just look forward to seeing the usual suspects (Jim, James, Cliff, etc etc) crying loudly for a full investigation and prosecutions, plus the dissolving of the authorities responsible for accounting for the money, just like they demanded of the UN when the failings of the Oil For Food Program attracted similar attention. Guys? We're waiting...

    Re: Audit Questions Iraqi Expenditures (none / 0) (#16)
    by Che's Lounge on Wed Feb 02, 2005 at 09:39:25 AM EST
    I'm sure the UN is behind this somehow. Bring me the head of Kofi Annan. Didn't Bremer get the medal of freedom for this "quaint" form of management?

    Audit Questions Iraqi Expenditures | 16 comments (16 topical)