U.S. occupation forces have retrieved $250 million from Iraqi central bank vaults that were submerged in water, a top U.S. official said on Monday. Paul Bremer, who became Iraq's effective governor two weeks ago, said the money was found undamaged at the bank's basement in central Baghdad. ''The money belongs to the central bank and that's were it will stay. Where it came from I don't know and I'm not sure we will ever know,'' Bremer said. Iraqi bankers said finance ministry and Baath Party officials moved around $1 billion from the central bank to government bank branches for safekeeping shortly before the start of the U.S.-led invasion on March 20. But most of the money, the bankers said, was feared stolen in looting after the fall of Baghdad one month later. Bremer said security in the capital had improved but he expected restoration of basic services to take time. He gave instructions to buy generators producing 400-500 megawatts of electricity but the machines were not expected to become operational soon. ''It may not help us in the next 60-90 days but it may help us in the structural imbalance of power here in Baghdad,'' he said.
| Leaving it in the bank, but hiding it underwater — to me, that implies somebody at the bank wanted to "protect" it from us infidels and maybe see to his retirement fund at the same time. I'd be having a talk with some of the senior officials... |
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