US occupation officials in Iraq ‘lost track of $9bn’

Larry Margasak, Washington

The US officials relied on Iraqi audit agencies to account for the funds but those offices were not even functioning when the funds were transferred between October 2003 and June 2004, according to an audit by a US inspector general.

The findings were released by Stuart Bowen, special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction. Mr Bowen issued several reports on the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), the US occupation government that ruled Iraq from June 2003 to June 2004.