Rogue jurors, indictments, plea deals etc.. – the news

According to the indictment, Ringo was stationed at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Shank, a U.S. Army installation in the Logar Province of Eastern Afghanistan. FOB Shank supports U.S. military operations in Afghanistan in various ways, including through fuel receipt and redistribution. More specifically, the Army stores large quantities of fuel at FOB Shank and redistributes that fuel to installations in the surrounding area through government contractors. Ringo’s responsibilities at FOB Shank included supervision of that fuel redistribution process. (Click HERE for article)

Wartime Contracting team will examine big-dollar U.S. construction projects during Afghanistan trip
ARLINGTON, VA, August 23, 2010 – A commissioner and four professional staff of the federal Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan (CWC) have joined two staffers from the CWC field office in Kabul for a week-long examination of U.S. construction contracts in war-torn Afghanistan.
The United States has committed billions of dollars to construction projects in Afghanistan to support its military, diplomatic, and reconstruction efforts there. Projects include base facilities, power plants, office buildings, fuel storage, schools, and training centers for Afghan security forces. Contracting agencies include the U.S. Departments of Defense and State and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Another CWC team returned from Afghanistan last week after gathering information on security and logistics issues. Such commission trips provide on-the-ground evidence for research and hearings that will feed into reform recommendations to Congress.

“Construction contracting in a war zone half a world away involves real challenges on cost, quality, timeliness, suitability, and sustainability,” said CWC Co-Chair Michael Thibault. “The government needs a clearer view on the way these projects are planned, contracted, and supervised. We often don’t know how many people are working on U.S. bases, whether prime contractors are effectively managing their subcontractors, whether employee vetting and access control are adequate, and whether Afghans can sustain projects like the $300 million Kabul power plant after U.S. personnel leave.” (Click HERE for Article)

US contractor investigated for overcharging claim
BRETT J. BLACKLEDGE and RICHARD LARDNER (AP) – August 14, 2010 - WASHINGTON — A U.S. contractor managing more than $1 billion in reconstruction contracts in Afghanistan faces federal criminal and civil investigations of claims that it overcharged the government for work, according to federal court documents.

Federal prosecutors are focusing on whether the Louis Berger Group, based in Morristown, N.J., submitted inflated invoices to the U.S. Agency for International Development, which oversees many of the government’s international development projects.

The allegations come as U.S. officials spar with Afghan President Hamid Karzai over allegations of corruption in his government. Karzai has questioned U.S.-led investigations of corruption in Afghanistan and argued that international donors have ignored corruption in billions of dollars worth of development projects they have handled.

Louis Berger has been a major player in U.S.-funded reconstruction projects in Iraq and Afghanistan, now leading a $1.4 billion USAID infrastructure project to build roads and power plants in Afghanistan. (Click HERE for article)

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