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Did 4 GIs steal $900,000 from Iraq? : The Times of India
Baghdad, Apr 26: At least four American soldiers are under investigation for the theft of a large sum of money - perhaps $ 900,000 or more - from more than $ 656 million in cash, apparently left by Ba`ath Party officials in an exclusive neighbourhood of Baghdad.
Baghdad, Apr 26: At least four American soldiers are under investigation for the theft of a large sum of money — perhaps $ 900,000 or more — from more than $ 656 million in cash, apparently left by Ba'ath Party officials in an exclusive neighbourhood of Baghdad.
Officials at V Corps HQ said members of the Third Infantry Division were being questioned about the cash that was left in bundles at the homes of the Iraqi elite who fled Baghdad as the Americans moved in.
Officers of the Army’s criminal investigation unit are investigating the case, which, by all accounts, is still evolving and may involve more soldiers and more money.
Initially, five soldiers were under investigation, but the Army cleared one of any wrongdoing.
Officers said that the soldiers had not been arrested or formally charged with any violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The four under investigation have been relieved of their duties.
The Third Infantry Division bore the brunt of the fighting during the war as it surged from southern Iraq into Baghdad. The division is now based in the Baghdad area and oversees security in the capital.
How the soldiers came under investigation remains unclear. The suspects were assigned to either guard cash or load it onto trucks, a military official said. Much of the cash was stacked inside aluminium boxes sealed with blue strapping tape and green seals stamped ‘‘Bank of Jordan’’. Soldiers unexpectedly finding treasure in the midst of war is a successful staple of Hollywood.
In the 1999 movie Three Kings, starring George Clooney, a team of soldiers in the turbulent aftermath of the 1991 Persian Gulf war find a map on an Iraqi soldier that leads to a bunker filled with looted Kuwaiti gold.
Officials at V Corps HQ said members of the Third Infantry Division were being questioned about the cash that was left in bundles at the homes of the Iraqi elite who fled Baghdad as the Americans moved in.
Officers of the Army’s criminal investigation unit are investigating the case, which, by all accounts, is still evolving and may involve more soldiers and more money.
Initially, five soldiers were under investigation, but the Army cleared one of any wrongdoing.
Officers said that the soldiers had not been arrested or formally charged with any violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The four under investigation have been relieved of their duties.
The Third Infantry Division bore the brunt of the fighting during the war as it surged from southern Iraq into Baghdad. The division is now based in the Baghdad area and oversees security in the capital.
How the soldiers came under investigation remains unclear. The suspects were assigned to either guard cash or load it onto trucks, a military official said. Much of the cash was stacked inside aluminium boxes sealed with blue strapping tape and green seals stamped ‘‘Bank of Jordan’’. Soldiers unexpectedly finding treasure in the midst of war is a successful staple of Hollywood.
In the 1999 movie Three Kings, starring George Clooney, a team of soldiers in the turbulent aftermath of the 1991 Persian Gulf war find a map on an Iraqi soldier that leads to a bunker filled with looted Kuwaiti gold.