Cablegate: Nigeria: Allegations of Dos Contractor Fraud For

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&E)
contract employee has alleged significant contract fraud on
the part of PA&E contract employees in Nigeria. PA&E 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&E in-country headquarters
(Abuja) accountant, a Nigerian national, and her brother, are
alleged to have colluded with other Nigerian employees of
PA&E, 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&E employee and has left the
country. Other PA&E expatriate employees will leave over the
next three weeks.

5. (SBU/NF) ACTION REQUEST: Embassy requests that the
Department quickly send a joint PA&E/Department of State
audit team to investigate the matter. Time is of the
essence. Operation Focus Relief ends December 15. PA&E
Nigeria has begun shutting down operations and transferring
personnel. The nature of the allegations, given the
extensive relationship between PA&E and the department, makes
this a serious issue. END ACTION REQUEST.
Jeter

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