Afghan Watchdog Blames Corrupt U.S. Officials for Botched Prison Project

[JonLP24]

Source: Foreign Policy

Billions of dollars have been wasted in Afghanistan since the U.S. launched ambitious plans to rebuild the country in 2002, and American watchdog John Sopko has spent the past two years documenting American-led reconstruction failures caused by mismanagement or outright corruption on the part of Afghan officials.

But a new report from Sopko, the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction, found that at least one incident of mismanagement -- the failed attempt to renovate Pol-i-Charkhi prison, Afghanistan's largest correctional facility -- came at the hands of two State Department employees charged with overseeing the project. And in an unusual role reversal, it was an Afghan national who actually had to fill their shoes after both Americans were suspended from their posts for fraud and mismanagement.

In 2009, when the U.S. State Department awarded a $20.2 million grant to Al-Watan Construction Company, an Afghan company, to renovate Pol-i-Charkhi, the project was supposed to improve living conditions and provide better separation between maximum-security prisoners and others inmates. Pol-i-Charkhi, located east of Kabul in Afghanistan, is one of five prisons constructed or renovated with funds from the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, or INL.

But Sopko's office found that even though Al-Watan only completed 50 percent of the contracted work, the State Department still paid the company $18.5 million - over 90 percent of the initial agreement. Though SIGAR recommended the State Department investigate whether the settlement was appropriate, State declined the possibility it was influenced by biased employees

Read more: http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2014/10/28/afghan_watchdog_blames_corrupt_us_officials_for_botched_prison_project

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Link to report -- http://www.sigar.mil/pdf/inspections/SIGAR-15-11-IP.pdf

[Sunlei]

1. Our Gov. should rip OUR Federal millions out of the contractors 'for profit' pockets!

Bet this is not the first time contractors made millions profits (off Americas Federal funds) and did a crappy incomplete job.


From the posted inspection report-

Pol-i-Charkhi Prison: After 5 Years
and $18.5 Million, Renovation
Project Remains Incomplete

SIGAR found that not all of AWCC’s work was completed according to contract
requirements. Most notably, AWCC substituted wood for metal roof trusses without
authorization and covered 30-year old wood trusses with new roofing material, rather
than replacing them as required under the contract. AWCC’s work was overseen by a
contracting officer’s representative—a State employee—who was later convicted in the
United States of improperly accepting gratuities from an INL contractor.

[frazzled]

2. What is an Afghan watchdog?

This?



It's an Afghan dog, and it's watching.