From today's New York Times,
Killings in Iraq Spawn Search for Missing Funds, we learn how the murder of a US human rights worker and her companions may connect to some of the $8 billion that went missing while the Coalition Provisional Authority was in charge.
The killing of Fern Holland...remains unsolved and as mysterious...federal investigators [are looking into] what happened to hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash issued by American authorities to Ms. Holland
American investigators are trying to determine whether that money was stolen as part of the web of bribery, kickbacks, theft and conspiracy...That corruption case, centered on reconstruction efforts, has led to four arrests, and more are expected.
A more complete except from the lead of the article cited:
The killing of Fern Holland, a human rights worker from Oklahoma, remains unsolved and as mysterious as it was when her body was found riddled with bullets on a desolate stretch of road near one of Iraq's southern holy cities in March 2004.
Now, federal investigators are grappling with a second mystery: what happened to hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash issued by American authorities to Ms. Holland and Robert J. Zangas, a press officer who died in the same attack near Karbala, in the days before their deaths?
An Iraqi interpreter, Salwa Oumashi, also died in the attack.
American investigators are trying to determine whether that money was stolen as part of the web of bribery, kickbacks, theft and conspiracy that they have laid out in a series of indictments and court papers describing corruption by American officials in Hilla in 2003 and 2004, according to officials involved in the inquiry. That corruption case, centered on reconstruction efforts, has led to four arrests, and more are expected.
To head off any suspicion that Ms. Holland had anything to do with this, the reporter points out
No suspicion for the missing money has fallen on Ms. Holland or Mr. Zangas..."She would never do that, because there was no need," said Mr. Hassanein [an Egyptian-American official for the CPA who routinely worked with Ms. Holland]
So, who are the suspects in this case? A brief outline of the men, and the obligatory "no comment" from all all involed.
Robert J. Stein Jr., a former American occupation official in Hilla, pleaded guilty in February to five counts of bribery, conspiracy and other charges, and could serve up to 30 years in prison. Mr. Stein disbursed the cash to Ms. Holland and Mr. Zangas and was involved in accounting for it after their deaths.
Philip H. Bloom, a businessman,...pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiracy, bribery and money laundering last month. Two Army Reserve officers, Lt. Col. Debra Harrison and Lt. Col. Michael Wheeler, who oversaw projects in Hilla, have been arrested and charged with accepting bribes.
A lawyer for Mr. Bloom, John N. Nassikas III, declined to comment. Lawyers for Mr. Stein, Colonel Harrison and Colonel Wheeler did not return telephone calls requesting comment.
Through press officers in both the United States and Iraq, the F.B.I. declined to comment on the case.
Just to refresh our memory, we are reminded how all this money was just flowing around Iraq at the time. Don't forget how getting the "bricks" $100s involved the largest ever physical transfer of cash ever. If I recall, it was done last at night and involved large military transport aircraft. But back to our current tail of murder and corruption.
Mr. Stein controlled the disbursement of nearly all government cash in Hilla. So much was available, often in shrink-wrapped stacks of $100 bills known as "bricks," that it was stashed all over the compound, the inspector general said in earlier reports. Millions were held in filing cabinets, a footlocker, even a safe in a bathroom, investigators found.
But the main lode was in a narrow, heavily built safe in the basement of the Babylon Hotel, which served as the American occupation government's headquarters in Hilla.
There is more in article about the detailed movement of cash in and out of Mr. Stein office. Included is a discussion of what paperwork was and was not filed, leading to a "memorandum for record" signed by Mr. Stein with the subject line
"Recovered Funds From Fern Holland (deceased)."
All this paints a portrait rampant corruption and thievery. I imagine this case will evolve into how murder became a the end result of such greed and avarice.
Please, if the quoted text piques your interest, go and read the article. There are more details that I have not covered here.