A former U.S. Army contracting official has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for his participation in a bribery and money laundering scheme related to bribes paid for contracts awarded in support of the Iraq war. Eddie Pressley, 41, was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release following the prison term. The […]
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Tags: Corruption
Maersk to Pay $32m for Overbilling
Maersk Line Limited, part of the Danish shipping and oil group A.P. Moller-Maersk, has agreed to pay $31.9 million to settle claims that it overcharged the U.S. military for transporting cargo to support American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. The settlement resolves a whistleblower lawsuit filed by a former industry insider. The individual, Jerry Brown, […]
Tags: Corruption, Maersk
Weekly Security Update for 4th January 2012
Levels of violence fell in Iraq over the past week, a welcome change following the spate of attacks on 22 December. At least 20 people were killed and 82 injured nationwide. This is at the lowest end of the usual figure range of 20 to 90 fatalities in any given seven-day period over recent months. […]
Belgian Credit Agency Warns on Iraq's Instability
ONDD, the Belgian export credit agency, has warned in its monthly report that "insecurity, instability and sectarian tensions will continue to prevail in Iraq". The text of their statement is shown below: Iraq: Deteriorating security and political climate as US troops leave the country > Event: The last US troops left Iraq after President Obama‘s […]
US To Complete Iraqi Arms Deal
A deal for US fighter jets and tanks will not be stopped by political instability, reports Al Jazeera. The deal is reportedly for USD11bn-worth of weaponry. Since the US pulled out its remaining troops two weeks ago, violence has increased, arrest warrants have been issued against senior politicians opposing prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, and opposing […]
Iraqi Refugees Seek Safer Haven - Back In Iraq
150,000 refugee Iraqi's have returned to Iraq from seemingly more unstable countries, according to AKNews. Iraqi immigration minister Dindar Dosk said that these Iraqis, who escaped from Iraq after the Iraq War began, have now returned since the outbreak of protests in the Arab world over the past year, in particular from Yemen, Libya, Egypt and […]
Weekly Security Update for 28th December 2011
Summary Levels of violence rose in Iraq over the past week, with dozens of people killed and injured in a series of attacks in Baghdad on 22 December. Meanwhile, the political crisis between senior politicians also endures, posing a significant risk to overall national stability and raising the possibility of major internal strife over the […]
Video: Alleged Iraqi Oil Smugglers At Work
The following video purports to show Iraqi oil smugglers digging up an underground pipeline, tapping into it, and then sucking up the overflowing oil. From the Musings on Iraq website: (Sources: Musings on Iraq, Youtube)
Tags: smuggling
Weekly Security Update for 21st December 2011
Levels of violence fell in Iraq over the past week, with attacks concentrated in Mosul, Baghdad and Kirkuk. There was a scattering of incidents throughout the central provinces and a notable bombing attack on oil and gas infrastructure in Basrah province. Bomb attacks left at least 15 people dead and 77 injured, a decline from […]
Tags: AKE, Ba'ath, Basrah, Erbil News, Iraq, Kidnap, Maliki, Medical, Oil, Politics, Security, Tariq al-Hashimi, US military
Fake Dinar Gang Busted
Security forces in Sulaimaniyah City have detained two people on charges of forging Iraqi money, reports AKnews. The two men were arrested by the security forces with fake money and arms in their possession, after another man who had been detained the previous day on similar charges admitted the charges and identified the other two. The […]
Retired Army Major Jailed for Iraqi Money Laundering
A retired major in the U.S. Army was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for engaging in money laundering of criminally derived property totaling $400,000, which he received from a contractor following his deployment to Kuwait, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division. Charles Joseph Bowie Jr., 45, of Georgetown, […]
Tags: Corruption
Video: Iraq Museum Pays Smugglers for Looted Treasures
Iraq's second largest museum in Sulaimaniya is recovering stolen artifacts by paying smugglers to return the treasures, as CNN reports: (Source: CNN)