As the U.S. prepares to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, the government watchdog charged with overseeing nearly $100 billion in contracts to reconstruct the country has found almost $2 billion in potential waste, fraud and abuse in the last three months alone — some of which has likely led to the deaths of American servicemen and women, according to the agency’s reports. The string of alleged violations includes phantom projects, improperly awarded contracts, aborted projects, deserted construction, a general lack of transparency to comprehensively oversee projects and, in one instance, building a $34 million military facility that will never be used. In a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry released Thursday, Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John F. Sopko wrote that he found “serious deficiencies” in awarding a $50 million contract for the training of Afghan justice workers that violated the department’s own policies. According to Sopko, the gigantic contract was awarded without competition and lacked the transparency to see how the funds were allocated. “The irony here is that State violated its own written policy and gave them a huge check to teach the Afghans about the ‘rule of law.’ As the saying goes, you can’t make this up,” Sopko said in a statement. wired/dangerroom/2013/07/afghanistan-audits-reveal-billions-in-u-s-taxpayer-waste/
Posted on: Wed, 31 Jul 2013 01:58:23 +0000
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