Audit: Baghdad embassy wasted money
The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad has unnecessarily spent more than $700,000 on cellphone service and lost track of millions of dollars of government property, according to a State Department audit released Thursday.
Among the findings are that the embassy acquired about 1,000 more handheld radios than needed at a cost of $936,000 and that nearly half of the embassy’s cellphones not assigned to anyone were being used and racking up thousands of dollars in monthly service fees, according to the State Department’s Office of Inspector General.
The report also found that 159 of the embassy’s 1,168 vehicles, worth $18.5 million, are unaccounted for.
And the best quote:
“Embassy Baghdad has difficulty controlling and accurately accounting for its U.S. government property,” the report concluded.
