Despite the volume of accountability initiatives and the involvement of various governmental bodies, it is still unclear what will guide the selection of armed contractors for future conflicts. Back in May 2012, for example, the then US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Daniel Baer, gave a speech at a […]
A defense contractor producing products and services for U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan agreed to repay the government $27.5 million to settle overbilling charges brought under the False Claims Act. “Contractors that knowingly bill the government in violation of contract terms will face serious consequences,” said acting Assistant Attorney General Joyce Branda. “The department […]
A former employee of a U.S. contractor was indicted today in the Eastern District of Texas for allegedly soliciting and accepting bribes in exchange for his influence in awarding U.S. government-funded contracts in Afghanistan, announced Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney John Malcolm Bales of the […]
A high-profile qui tam suit against Kellogg Brown & Root and Halliburton continues to generate important case law relating to the scope of attorney-client privilege and work product protection given to internal investigations. In the lawsuit, arising out of alleged false claims to the government under Iraq reconstruction-related contracts, federal judge James S. Gwin in […]
We learned a lot from that big Senate Intelligence Committee report on C.I.A. interrogation tactics after 9/11. It was what may be the first time in American history that the term “rectal hydration” appeared in family newspapers throughout the land. One of the most unnerving parts involves the fact that the waterboarding, ice baths and […]