Down1
18th August 2012, 03:55 PM
A four-star general used military vehicles to take his wife on shopping trips, billed the government for stays in lavish hotels and accepted Broadway tickets from a 'prohibited source' with defense contracts, an investigation has found.
Gen. William 'Kip' Ward, the former head of the U.S. Africa Command, faces demotion in light of the investigation into his excessive unauthorised spending by the Department of Defense.
A 99-page report details his plush lifestyle at the expense of taxpayers, which came despite repeated warnings by officials that his spending was not above board.
It gives a startling insight into his extravagant unapproved expenses, including stays at five-star hotels for extended trips and the use of official vehicles to pick up snacks.
Many of Ward’s 79 official trips to Europe, Africa or across the United States involved extracurricular or personal excursions at the taxpayer's expense, the records show.
On one trip to Germany, where Africa Command is based, Ward, his wife and staff stayed in Bermuda for a refueling stop - where the couple stayed in a $750 suite and billed it to the government.
His staff travelled to Bermuda ahead of his arrival; in total, the cost of their rooms came to more than $10,000, without meals or transportation.
Ward, 63, defended the layover as a 'crew stop' and blamed his staff for the decision to stay, the report notes.
On another occasion in June 2010, Ward and his wife Joyce accepted dinner and Broadway show tickets from a 'prohibited source' with over $4 million in military contracts.
He attended Fences with his wife and the contractor and his family, before going backstage to meet actor Denzel Washington.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2189976/Gen-William-Kip-Ward-Report-details-excessive-unauthorised-spending-star-general-faces-demotion.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2189976/Gen-William-Kip-Ward-Report-details-excessive-unauthorised-spending-star-general-faces-demotion.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/aug/18/report-accuses-general-lavish-travel-spending/?breakingnews
Gen. William 'Kip' Ward, the former head of the U.S. Africa Command, faces demotion in light of the investigation into his excessive unauthorised spending by the Department of Defense.
A 99-page report details his plush lifestyle at the expense of taxpayers, which came despite repeated warnings by officials that his spending was not above board.
It gives a startling insight into his extravagant unapproved expenses, including stays at five-star hotels for extended trips and the use of official vehicles to pick up snacks.
Many of Ward’s 79 official trips to Europe, Africa or across the United States involved extracurricular or personal excursions at the taxpayer's expense, the records show.
On one trip to Germany, where Africa Command is based, Ward, his wife and staff stayed in Bermuda for a refueling stop - where the couple stayed in a $750 suite and billed it to the government.
His staff travelled to Bermuda ahead of his arrival; in total, the cost of their rooms came to more than $10,000, without meals or transportation.
Ward, 63, defended the layover as a 'crew stop' and blamed his staff for the decision to stay, the report notes.
On another occasion in June 2010, Ward and his wife Joyce accepted dinner and Broadway show tickets from a 'prohibited source' with over $4 million in military contracts.
He attended Fences with his wife and the contractor and his family, before going backstage to meet actor Denzel Washington.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2189976/Gen-William-Kip-Ward-Report-details-excessive-unauthorised-spending-star-general-faces-demotion.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2189976/Gen-William-Kip-Ward-Report-details-excessive-unauthorised-spending-star-general-faces-demotion.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/aug/18/report-accuses-general-lavish-travel-spending/?breakingnews