Pubdate: Mon, 16 Oct 2000
Source: Arizona Daily Star (AZ)
Copyright: 2000 Pulitzer Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.azstarnet.com/
Author: Associated Press

FUEL FOR ANTI-DRUG MISSIONS IS MISSING

Allotment For Colombia Is Short 469,000 Gallons

WASHINGTON - The State Department cannot account for 469,000 gallons of 
aviation fuel it bought for Colombian anti-drug missions, and a Republican 
senator wants congressional auditors to investigate.

In seeking the inquiry, Sen. Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, chairman of the 
Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, recalled that Congress 
recently approved a $1.3 billion Colombian anti-drug package. "I want to be 
sure that we have the best chance of seeing that money produce real 
results," he said.

The inspector general's office of the State Department reported last month 
that it could not determine how the fuel was used and was unsure whether to 
attribute the problem to poor bookkeeping or fraud.

The 469,000 gallons comprise 17 percent of the fuel provided the Colombian 
National Police last year by the U.S. Embassy in Bogota. The police and the 
air wing of the State Department's International Narcotics and Law 
Enforcement Bureau use the embassy-provided fuel in planes and helicopters 
flying drug eradication and interdiction missions.

In an Oct. 2 letter, Grassley asked the General Accounting Office to 
evaluate how the State Department oversees operations of the air wing and 
those of its contractors, whether it complies with federal contracting 
procedures and how the air wing assures that aircraft are properly maintained.

Both Grassley and the State Department requested the review by the 
inspector general in February after a Colombian police official was accused 
of embezzling U.S. money meant for aircraft fuel, motor vehicle parts and 
other supplies.

The State Department originally approached two accounting firms with 
offices in Bogota to conduct the audits. Both refused, fearing reprisals.

The inspector general issued three reports last month. It found no criminal 
activity but said oversight of the fuel fund was inadequate, as was 
supervision of a contractor who pays civilian pilots and mechanics.

It did not disclose the cost of the missing fuel but noted that $7.7 
million was paid for aviation fuel over three years. Aviation fuel is "a 
very marketable and desirable commodity" that can be used in cars and 
trucks that take diesel fuel, it said.

Colombian police said the missing fuel perhaps was burned in idling time or 
was used in generators that were not included in the records.
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