Watchdog agency to audit 4 reconstruction firms

This $1 million building for the Mosul police headquarters was supposed to contain 10 showers, 12 toilets, 10 urinals, 10 sinks and a changing room.

WASHINGTON - The government watchdog that monitors Iraq reconstruction programs will conduct the most sweeping review of contractors since the war began, auditing four companies with combined contracts worth $3.3 billion. The audits come amid complaints of lax oversight of the $35 billion in taxpayer money spent so far to rebuild Iraq.

Previously the watchdog agency, the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, has investigated individual projects to identify mismanagement, waste or fraud. A top-to-bottom review of all contracts within a single company allows investigators to determine whether companywide problems contributed to the projects' success or failure, SIGIR spokeswoman Denise Burgess said.

Burgess said auditors chose the four companies because they received a large portion of reconstruction money. The audits will help answer the broader question, "Where did the money go?" Burgess said.

Read the rest at USA Today

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