Posted on 11/09/2006 8:17:33 AM PST by MadIvan
Corruption within the Iraqi government is costing the country billions of dollars, the US official monitoring reconstruction in Iraq has said.
Stuart Bowen told the BBC that Iraq was facing a second insurgency of corruption and mismanagement.
He said Iraqi government corruption could amount to $4bn (£2.1bn) a year, over 10% of the national income, with some money going to the insurgency.
Many government workers also lack the skills to manage funds, Mr Bowen said.
"This money that's stolen doesn't merely enrich criminals," Mr Bowen said.
"(It) frequently goes out to fund criminal militias or insurgents. That means lost lives for US troops."
Missing weapons
A clause in a military spending bill signed by President George W Bush three weeks ago will terminate the work of the auditor on 1 October next year.
Democratic and Republican Senators have said they will fight to have the term of the Office of the Special Inspector-General for Iraq Reconstruction extended.
Mr Bowen has been critical in the past of how US money earmarked for reconstruction has been spent.
Lack of skills among government workers is another problem hampering reconstruction, Mr Bowen said.
"The estimates are that $8-10bn of Iraq's budgets will go unspent because of Iraq's lack of capacity to spend that money," he said.
Mr Bowen's audit office began operations in March 2004 and has referred 25 criminal cases to the US Department of Justice. Four have resulted in convictions.
Among its more notable findings was a report on the loss of 14,000 weapons destined for Iraqi government use.
Many of these are believed to have found their way into the hands of insurgent groups after the Pentagon lost track of them.
Regards, Ivan
Ping!
I am certain the Dems will pick on this, and IMO, go after Cheney and the Haliburton connection.
It really is pathetic that politicians so often have to read a newspaper in search of outrage.
How do you just 'lose track' of 14,000 weapons?
Are they pumping and sellingn their own oil yet? Is this foreign tax dollars or their own oil revenues that are lost?
They dont care about money being spent.
They just care that their friends did not get
a piece. When did Dems ever care about fiscal
responsibility.
We will wander in the desert for the next 40 years
after this election.
Before I get worked up about this, I'll have to see the math showing how this stacks up against the billions that disappeared into the fraudulent "food-for-oil" scheme.
Nah, we'll be back in two years with lessons learned.
That was exactly the BBC's intent.
Christian news and commentary at: sacredscoop.com ...
This is exactly how the dems hope to ride to victory in '08; by showcasing GOP incompetance and mismanagement in Iraq. The irony: Bowen, Bush's former lawyer from Texas and the White House, will be their star witness.
as well they should.
if this is true, this is a disgrace.
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