Pentagon releases Halliburton documents

(via the Hill)

In the wake of a subpoena threat, the Pentagon has started turning over to Congress documents related to Halliburton Corp.’s disputed billing under a $2.5 billion contract for Iraqi oil-site repairs and fuel imports.

Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.), chairman of the House Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations, intended to subpoena the Defense Department if the administration did not provide the long-requested documents.

Halliburton received the contract in 2003 without competition. The company is a major recipient of Development Fund for Iraq (DFI) money. DFI is the successor of the United Nations Oil-for-Food program.

The Pentagon has submitted documents related to the contract without a subpoena, a subcommittee aide said, and more documents are on the way. Subcommittee members objected to heavily redacted internal Defense Department audits provided to a U.N. board charged with monitoring the DFI program.

The audits found more than $200 million in questioned charges that Halliburton had passed to the government.

Pentagon officials said that the documents were redacted to protect the company’s proprietary information.

Roxana Tiron