INDEPENDENT NEWS

Cablegate: Nigeria: Allegations of Dos Contractor Fraud For

Published: Wed 28 Nov 2001 05:38 AM
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS ABUJA 002990
SIPDIS
NOFORN
SENSITIVE
DEPARTMENT FOR AF/RA:BITTRICK, AF/W, AF/EX
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: MARR MASS ASEC NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: ALLEGATIONS OF DOS CONTRACTOR FRAUD FOR
OPERATION FOCUS RELIEF
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - PROTECT ACCORDINGLY
1. (U) This is an action request. Please see para 5.
2. (SBU/NF) A Pacific Architects and Engineers (PA)
contract employee has alleged significant contract fraud on
the part of PA contract employees in Nigeria. PA is the
Department of State contractor for Operation Focus Relief
logistics.
3. (SBU/NF) According to the employee, both expatriate and
host nation employees are involved in significant contract
fraud. Specifically, the PA in-country headquarters
(Abuja) accountant, a Nigerian national, and her brother, are
alleged to have colluded with other Nigerian employees of
PA, as well as expatriate employees, to defraud the U.S.
government. This is achieved by: overcharging for services
and equipment and pocketing the surplus; arranging for the
accountant,s extended family to be awarded contracts for
services and equipment in order to effect the overcharges;
ordering the destruction of receipts; and, threatening
expatriate employees with bodily harm if they blow the
whistle.
4. (SBU/NF) The person who made the above allegations has
been hurriedly removed as a PA employee and has left the
country. Other PA expatriate employees will leave over the
next three weeks.
5. (SBU/NF) ACTION REQUEST: Embassy requests that the
Department quickly send a joint PA/Department of State
audit team to investigate the matter. Time is of the
essence. Operation Focus Relief ends December 15. PA
Nigeria has begun shutting down operations and transferring
personnel. The nature of the allegations, given the
extensive relationship between PA and the department, makes
this a serious issue. END ACTION REQUEST.
Jeter
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