Iraq War misappropriation refers to allegations that billions of dollars of US government funds, originally meant for reconstruction and rebuilding programs, were misappropriated during the Iraq War.
Official investigations
In July 2008, the
United States Department of Justice investigated around 900 cases of alleged fraud committed by contractors.
[Barbara Ferguson:]
Private contractors steal billions from Uncle Sam
. ArabNews, 30 July 2008 Similarly, the
Defense Contract Audit Agency
The Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) is an agency of the United States Department of Defense under the direction of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller). It was established in 1965 to perform all contract audits for the Department of ...
uncovered $10 billion in questionable Iraq contracts,
and a US audit found that the occupation authority had lost track of reconstruction funds totalling nearly $9 billion.
Henry Waxman, then Chairman of the
United States House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
The Committee on Oversight and Reform is the main investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives.
The committee's broad jurisdiction and legislative authority make it one of the most influential and powerful panels in the ...
, said, "The money that's gone into waste, fraud and abuse under these contracts is just so outrageous, it's egregious. It may well turn out to be the largest war profiteering in history."
["BBC uncovers lost Iraq billions"](_blank)
Jane Corbin
Jane Phillipa Corbin, Lady Maples (born 16 July 1954) is a British journalist and film-maker who has made over a hundred documentaries mainly for the BBC and its current affairs programme ''Panorama''. She specialises in covering Central Asia, t ...
, BBC News, 10 June 2008
Media investigations
$12 billion in U.S. currency was transported from the
Federal Reserve to Baghdad in April 2003 and June 2004, where it was dispensed by the
Coalition Provisional Authority. A
Vanity Fair magazine report concluded that of this sum, "at least $9 billion has gone missing".
''
Dispatches: Iraq's Missing Billions'', produced by
Guardian
Guardian usually refers to:
* Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another
* ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper
(The) Guardian(s) may also refer to:
Places
* Guardian, West Virginia, Unite ...
Films (March 20, 2006).
A blog on
Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
alleged that there "immunized foreign contractors" were involved. US courts issued
gag orders that prevent the prosecution or defense from discussing the allegations. The orders apply to 70 court cases against some top US contractors.
Missing UN funds
At the start of the Iraq war, the
United Nations awarded $23 billion of Iraqi money to the US-led coalition to re-develop Iraq.
["'Iraq was awash in cash. We played football with bricks of $100 bills'"](_blank)
Callum Macrae and Ali Fadhil, '' The Guardian'', 20 March 2006
See also
*
White House Iraq-War forgery allegations The Habbush letter, or Habbush memo, is a handwritten message dated July 1, 2001, which appears to show a link between al-Qaeda and Iraq's government. It purports to be a direct communication between the head of Iraqi Intelligence, General Tahir Jal ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iraq War Misappropriations
Financial scandals
George W. Bush administration controversies
Occupation of Iraq
Allegations