The US occupation authority in Iraq had a chaotic and "Wild West" approach to contracting there that opened up the system to abuse and waste, a former employee of the authority said last night.
Ex-Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) official Mr Franklin Willis cited examples of this "chaos" at a hearing of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee and said he believed most abuse and waste could have been avoided.
Mr Willis showed a picture of himself and other US officials holding up plastic-wrapped "bricks" of $100 bills worth $2 million to pay security contractor Custer Battles, which the the US Defense Department has since suspended due to billing issues.
"The Custer Battles case, which while anecdotal, reflects a general pattern of waste and inefficiencies which could have been avoided," said Mr Willis of contracting abuses in Iraq.
"In sum, inexperienced officials, fear of decision-making, lack of communications, minimal security, no banks and lots of money to spread around. This chaos I have referred to as a 'Wild West'," Mr Willis, who was a senior aviation official for the CPA, told the hearing.
Democrats have called for a full congressional hearing on what they say is a pattern of contracting abuses in Iraq, ranging from overcharging by lead contractor Halliburton to poor planning and mismanagement.
Audits last month by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction were particularly scathing over the CPA's handling of more than $20 billion of Iraq's own money and said lack of oversight opened up these funds to corruption.