Contractors Rarely Held Responsible for Misdeeds in Iraq
Source: By Griff Witte, Washington Post, Saturday, November 4, 2006
The list of alleged contractor misdeeds in Iraq has grown long in the past 3 1/2 years. Yet when it comes to holding companies accountable, the charges seldom stick. Critics say that because of legal loopholes, flaws in the contracting process, a lack of interest from Congress and uneven oversight by investigative agencies, errant contractors have faced few sanctions for their work in Iraq.
And the inspector general's office credited with doing the most to root out waste and fraud is scheduled to go out of business by next October. ......... The special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, Stuart W. Bowen Jr., has nearly 60 auditors and investigators based in Baghdad and has won bipartisan praise for his work. But the office, which was set up to be temporary, has an October 1, 2007, deadline for completing its mission.