Whistleblowers reporting fraud by contractors in Iraq reconstruction are coming forward, reports Stuart Bowen, the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction. The relatively calmer conditions in Iraq apparently are a factor in more whistleblowers coming forward, he believes.
From the $21 billion Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund, billions have been lost, according to Bowen.
“Thirty-two billion dollars later, we don’t know a whole lot about what’s happened to that money,” Bowen said.
“The actual reconstruction money, I estimate 15 to 20 percent has been wasted. Roughly $3-$4 billion,” he said. Many projects have been plagued by waste and poor design.
“Millions [have been] wasted at the Baghdad police college because of extremely shoddy construction,” Bowen said.
Iraq reconstruction whistleblowers may receive rewards of 15-30% of the fraud or false claims reported by using the False Claims Act, the major whistleblower law that we have written about often. They may also potentially use the IRS Whistleblower Program to obtain rewards, since illegal activity often results in tax violations.
In this age when fraud and abuse are depleting taxpayer funds, any whistleblower who steps forward to report fraud or other impropriety in the Iraq reconstruction is to be commended.
Since the late 1980s, our attorneys have worked with the major whistleblower law, the False Claims Act. We have represented whistleblowers who reported fraud and false claims in many government programs, including contractor fraud in Iraq reconstruction, other military contracts, NASA programs, Hurricane Katrina and other disaster relief, and of course Medicare/Medicaid fraud.
Ever since the beginning of the new IRS Whistleblower Program, our whistleblower lawyers at Finch McCranie, LLP have represented whistleblowers in the new program. We have represented persons with IRS Whistleblower claims in the hedge fund industry, other financial services industries, real estate, manufacturing, and many other businesses, as tax fraud, tax evasion, and tax noncompliance are not limited to one area.
For a free consultation about a possible whistleblower claim, please call us at 800-228-9159, or email us HERE.