A Scam by Any Other Name Still Stinks!

This time, the fickle finger of fate points to Halliburton.
The article, 09-07-2004, 05:09PM was posted by AP, Tuesday September 7, 11:43AM ET:

Halliburton to Lose Multibillion Dollar Iraq Contract. Bids to be Accepted, report says.

WASHINGTON (AP)—Halliburton Co’s multibillion dollar contract for work to support U.S. troops in Iraq will be put back up for bids, according to a published report.

According to Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal, an internal Army memo indicates that the move is planned within months. The company, formerly headed by Vice President Dick Cheney, has come under intense scrutiny amid allegations of overcharging and poor accounting.

The value of the contract to feed and house U.S. troops in Iraq is valued at up to $13 billion.

The Journal quoted a Halliburton spokeswoman as saying the move was expected and that its Kellogg Brown & Root unit may bid again for parts of the work.

The awarding of the no-bid contract to Halliburton has been attacked by Democrats because of Cheney’s connections to the company. Cheney led Halliburton from 1995 to 2000.

Last month, Pentagon auditors urged the U.S. Army to start withholding millions of dollars in payments to Halliburton until the company justified its bills.

Various government agencies are investigating several aspects of Halliburton’s work in Iraq, including allegations of kickbacks by Kuwaiti subcontractors and improper charges totaling hundreds of millions of dollars.

It’s interesting that the press keeps referring to the Vice-President as the former head of Halliburton. The contract in question was released four years after Cheney stepped down and (theoretically) divested himself of all financial interest in the company and its subsidiaries. Good-bye Halliburton; hello Kellogg Brown & Root.