What an example we've set under the able leadership of Proconsul Paul Bremer. We managed to showcase crony capitalism at it's best: special deals, hundreds of millions of dollars worth of equipment "lost or misplaced," thousands and thousands of dollars in cash un accounted for, endless manipulation and subversion of legal contracts.
But now that the Iraqis are in power, they're investigating (it is their country after all). There are least 27 criminal investigations and evidence of millions of dollars' worth of fraud, waste and abuse, according to a report by the Coalition Provisional Authority's inspector general. "These results are not surprising: The CPA faced a variety of daunting challenges, including extremely hazardous working conditions," according to Stuart W. Bowen Jr., the inspector general who wrote the report.
In one case, a senior U.S. advisor "manipulated" the contracting system to award a $7.2-million security contract. In another incident, a contractor billed $3.3 million for nonexistent personnel working on an oil pipeline repair contract while a security contractor guarding the pipeline overcharged the CPA by $20,000. In another example, a military assistant to a Pentagon employee gambled away part of a $40,000 grant issued to help coach an Iraqi sports team, the report found.
Well thank goodness they aren't being run by petty dictators.
Los Angles Times: Iraq Funds Are Focus of 27 Criminal Inquiries
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