Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction

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Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction
- SIGAR -
State level United States government
Consist 2008
Headquarters Crystal City, Arlington , Virginia
Special Inspector General John F. Sopko
Employee 197 (October 2014)
Website www.sigar.mil

Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction ( SIGAR ) is the regulatory authority of the US government for the reconstruction of Afghanistan . Congress created the Office of the Special Inspector General for the Reconstruction of Afghanistan to ensure independent and objective oversight of funds for the reconstruction of Afghanistan. Under the authority of Section 1229 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (PL 110-181), SIGAR conducts audits, inspections, and investigations to promote the economics of recovery programs and to detect and prevent misuse, fraud, and taxpayers' money . SIGAR also has a hotline that individuals can use to report suspected fraud.

SIGAR's mission is "to promote the economy and efficiency of US-funded reconstruction programs in Afghanistan and to detect and prevent fraud, waste and abuse through independent, objective and strategic audits, inspections and investigations".

Quarterly reports

Public Law 110-181 directs SIGAR to submit a quarterly report to Congress. Commissioned by Congress, this report summarizes SIGAR's audits and investigative activities. The report also provides an overview of the reconstruction work in Afghanistan and contains a detailed breakdown of all reconstruction-related obligations, expenditures and revenues.

As part of its legislative mandate, SIGAR follows the status of US funds that have been made available, committed and disbursed for reconstruction measures in Afghanistan.

As of September 30, 2019, accumulated since 2002, the US taxpayer has paid out around 132.55 billion US dollars for aid and reconstruction in Afghanistan. These funds are presented in four categories:

history

Inspector General

John F. Sopko giving a talk at the Atlantic Council in 2014

In 2012, President Barack Obama appointed John F. Sopko as Inspector General. Sopko has more than 30 years of oversight and investigative experience as a prosecutor, congressional advisor and senior advisor to the federal government. He joined SIGAR from Akin Gump Strauss, Hauer & Feld LLP , an international law firm based in Washington, DC, where he was a partner since 2009. In addition to his experience in the executive branch, he has 20 years of experience in the legislature.

He was on the staff of the United States House of Representatives for House Committee on Energy and Commerce , as well as the staff of the States United Senate : United States Senate Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations .

Predecessor

Arnold Fields 1947 Major General, USMC

Deputy Inspector General

Gene Aloise has been Deputy Inspector General of SIGAR since September 4, 2012. Aloise has 38 years of experience with the Government Accountability Office .

Employees and locations

In October 2014, SIGAR reported the employment of 197 federal employees to Congress. 29 US citizens and three Afghans in the US embassy in Kabul and eight other US citizens in Kandahar , Bagram Air Base and Mazar-i-Sharif .

recognition

  • In October 2014, more than two dozen SIGAR employees were recognized for excellence at the 17th annual award ceremony of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency . Awards included the Sentner Award for Dedication and Courage , two awards for excellence in auditing, and two awards for excellence in specialty areas.
  • In May 2012, the SIGAR Special Agents received a Public Service Award from the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia for their work on a major bribery case in Afghanistan.
  • In October 2011, a SIGAR audit team was presented with the Sentner Award for Commitment and Courage for its work in Laghman Province reviewing the commander's emergency program.
  • In October 2011, another SIGAR team received an Award for Excellence for testing the facilities of the Afghan National Security Force.

information

SIGAR's coverage caught the attention of US lawmakers. The supervisory authority used methods that meet scientific standards. The research topics included: public order in Afghanistan, the United States Agency for International Development in Afghanistan, projects in Afghanistan, corruption in Afghanistan and the Da Afghanistan Bank .

disinformation

SIGAR published two lessons learned reports, on the subject of nation building , in a disguised technical jargon and withheld the most critical comments from the interviews . The Washington Post sued for disclosure of the original interviews based on the Freedom of Information Act . Judge Amy Berman Jackson of the U.S. District Court in Columbia District ruled that the original interviews should be published. This is how The Washington Post was able to expose this disinformation.

Supervisory activity

Audits

SIGAR's Audits Directorate carries out audits and inspections of reconstruction measures in Afghanistan. These reviews target a range of programs and activities in order to fulfill SIGAR's legislative mandate. They identify issues related to United States reconstruction efforts and make recommendations on how to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

SIGAR's audits range from assessing program direction to closer scrutiny of specific contracts or aspects of contract and program management. SIGAR inspections are quick impact assessments to determine whether infrastructure projects have been properly created, used as intended and can be sustained. SIGAR also performs forensic reviews of reconstruction assets administered by the Department of Defense, the Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development. These forensic reviews identify anomalies that could indicate fraud.

Investigations

The Investigations Directorate conducts criminal and civil investigations into waste, fraud and abuse in connection with programs and operations supported by US funds for the reconstruction of Afghanistan. The results will be achieved through criminal prosecution, civil action, confiscation of funds, and suspension and suspension.

To accomplish its mission, SIGAR has full federal law enforcement authority through its enabling laws as defined in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2008. The SIGAR Special Agents investigate criminal offenses related to procurement fraud, contract fraud, theft, corruption, bribery of government employees and public officials, and a variety of civil law matters relating to the waste and misuse of US taxpayers' money.

The quarterly report of October 2014 reported 322 ongoing SIGAR investigations.

Special projects

The SIGAR Special Projects team was formed to investigate emerging issues and provide actionable reports to federal agencies and Congress immediately. The Special Project reports cover a wide range of programs and activities. The office consists of accountants, analysts, investigators, lawyers, experts and other specialists who can quickly and jointly apply their expertise to problems and questions that arise.

Coordinated outflow of funds

In accordance with its mandate, SIGAR is coordinating with the other inspectors-general involved in monitoring the Afghanistan Reconstruction project:

Together, a strategy for monitoring the outflow of USD 104 billion of the Afghanistan Reconstruction project was found.

Topic reports

  • Narcotics Police in Afghanistan: US aid for provincial units, donations not fully understandable, formal ability assessments are required.
  • Pul-e-Charkhi prison : After 5 years and $ 18.5 million, the renovation project remains incomplete
  • Special report: Poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, 2012 and 2013.
  • Three mobile television production cars for Afghan television stations.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ SIGAR Fraud Hotline, [1]
  2. ↑ Public Law 110-181 directs SIGAR to submit a quarterly report to Congress. Public Law 110-181
  3. ↑ SIGAR's Quarterly Reports, [2]
  4. ↑ SIGAR Interactive Funding Tables, facts and figures, [3]
  5. ↑ John F. Sopko, brookings, edu, [4] ; sigar.mil Leadership , [5] ; C-SPAN , [6] ; The Washington Times , [7]
  6. ↑ The Washington Post , December 11, 2011, [8]
  7. ↑ October 2014, [9] ; Sentner Award for Dedication and Courage: [10] ; SIGAR: 2014 CIGIE Awards, [11]
  8. ↑ SIGAR, October 2012, CIGIE Awards, [12]
  9. ^ Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency , 2011 Award Program, [13]
  10. ↑ Quarterly Report of October 2014 reported 322 ongoing SIGAR investigations October 2014 SIGAR Quarterly Report, [14] ; List of Suspension and Debarment Cases, [15] ; List of Criminal Cases, [16]
  11. ↑ SIGAR Special Projects Office, [17]
  12. ^ Joint Strategic Oversight Plan for Afghanistan Reconstruction, FY13, Strategic plan of SIGAR and the inspectors general [18]
  13. ↑ Counternarcotics Police of Afghanistan: US Assistance to Provincial Units Cannot Be Fully Tracked and Formal Capability Assessments Are Needed, [19]
  14. ↑ Pol-i-Charkhi Prison: After 5 Years and $ 18.5 Million, Renovation Project Remains Incomplete, [20]
  15. ↑ Special Report: Poppy Cultivation in Afghanistan, 2012 and 2013, [21]
  16. ↑ Inquiry Letter: Communication Trucks, [22]

Remarks

  1. ↑ Major General Fields is the former US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) and a retired US Marine Corps Major General who served over 34 years on continuous active duty.
  2. ↑ Herb Richardson (1950) [23] President Obama appointed Fields as assistant inspector general, Herb Richardson. Richardson, a 61-year-old former FBI special agent who served as Assistant Inspector General with the Department of Energy, made a name for himself with SIGAR for consolidating his power, leadership and control. Richardson, a former champion rower who has become more bureaucratic, sat back in his chair during a Feb. 3 interview and spoke with evident satisfaction about his reputation as a strong agent. Richardson, who was appointed by a government board of directors on Nov. 8 to conduct what is known as a "top-to-bottom review" of the organization, said he now plans to set a more muscular and effective course for the agency. While Richardson has many admirers within SIGAR who welcomed its no-nonsense approach, not all are on board. Mission incomplete, Jason Horowitz , The Washington Post , Feb. 11, 2011, [24]
  3. ↑ Built to fail, Craig Whitlock in The Washington Post , December 9, 2019 Despite vows the US wouldn't get mired in 'nation-building,' it has wasted billions doing just that DAVID GUTTENFELDER / ASSOCIATED PRESSABOVE: Campaign leaflets, dropped from a helicopter, float down during a 2009 rally for Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah in Kabul. Built to fail, The Washington Post December 12, 2019, [25] .