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Wednesday, December 25, 2013

ANHAM FZCO, Criminally Investigated By Pentagon for Illegally Delivering U.S. Military Supplies Through IRAN, Using American Tax Payer Dollars

Did ANHAM use American tax payer dollars to finance Iran's Revolutionary Guards (Kidnappers of Americans & Funders of World Terrorism) to delivery goods for American soldiers in Afghanistan? Worse, how is this company STILL holding the largest food contract for feeding American soldiers?

A new December 23, 2013 reports by Bloomberg cited that Pentagon’s criminal investigations arm is seriously probing one of the American military’s largest suppliers in Afghanistan over allegations that it violated U.S. law by moving supplies through Iran, the Defense Department told lawmakers. An article in The Wall Street Journal in September, which prompted the investigation, disclosed that Anham relied on the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas and on Iranian supply routes to move steel, tractors and refrigeration panels into Afghanistan to build warehouses and other logistical centers. Anham’s actions may have violated strict U.S. sanctions laws that prohibit American entities from conducting trade with Iran or Iranian companies by moving materials through the country, Obama administration officials said.

Anham made a voluntary disclosure in September to the Treasury and Commerce Departments regarding transshipments through Iran, after the company was contacted about the matter by the Journal. The logistics agency said Anham was “still in the process of providing documentation on the matter.” It added that “no changes have been made to the SPV Afghanistan contract” since the disclosure. “As Anham is still in the process of preparing their official disclosure to the Department of Commerce and Department of Treasury, any actions would be premature,” the statement read. “We will make an informed decision on next steps once we have all the facts.”



Senators Mark Kirk (R., Ill.) and Kelly Ayotte (R., N.H.) pressed the Pentagon’s Inspector General to open an investigation into Anham due to concerns the company may have directly done business with Iran’s elite military unit, the Revolutionary Guard Corps. The corps controls some of the container ports at Bandar Abbas, the U.S. Treasury says. The U.S. lawmakers asked in an October letter to the Inspector General whether Anham’s contract could be restricted or terminated and if any disciplinary action had been taken against Anham executives. “Until the investigation is able to establish the relevant facts, we will not be able to respond meaningfully to the three questions posed,” Acting Assistant Inspector General Larry Turner responded to Mr. Kirk in a letter late last month. In that letter, the Inspector General’s office notified Mr. Kirk that it has “initiated an investigation into the public revelations concerning Anham FZCO’s alleged use of Iranian ports to supply U.S. forces in Afghanistan.” Anham executives also said Monday that the company’s chief executive officer, A. Huda Farouki, will step away from the day-to-day management of Anham in January, but will continue as the company’s board chairman and oversee an executive committee. Mr. Farouki will be succeeded by Jay Ward, who has served for the past year as Anham’s chief operating officer.

Media Sources validating the above story:


http://www.cfr.org/about/newsletters/archive/newsletter/n1626