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15-02-09 Senior US officers probed on Iraq rebuilding

Federal authorities are probing senior U.S. military officers who oversaw the program to rebuild Iraq following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion,the New York Times reported Saturday.Citing senior government officials,as well as court documents,the Times reported that investigators had subpoenaed the personal bank records of Col. Anthony B. Bell,now retired,in charge of reconstruction contracting in Iraq in 2003 and 2004,when the operation expanded greatly in scope to repair Iraq's infrastructure.According to the report,investigators are also examining the activities of Lt. Col.Ronald Hirtle of the Air Force,who was a senior contracting officer in Baghdad in 2004.It is not clear what specific evidence exists against the two men,and both deny any wrongdoing,the Times reported.But officials say that several criminal cases over the past few years point to widespread corruption in the operation the men helped run, the paper noted.Part of the inquiry focuses on information given to them by Dale Stoffel,a U.S. arms dealer and contractor who was shot dead on a road north of Baghdad in 2004,the Times said