Guide Note

The 2008 BBC News investigative exposé Daylight Robbery, examined the theft, loss, or improper accounting of up to $23 billion in Iraq. Most of this money, the BBC discovered, went to military contractors such as Halliburton who inflated their costs by as much as two times, or Iraqi governmental officials who pocketed funds that were supposed to go towards pacifying the country.

Fast Facts

1. Name of exposé: Daylight Robbery
2. Program: Panorama
3. Host: Jane Corbin
4. Date first aired: June 10, 2008
5. Amount believed to have been lost: $23 billion
6. Major contractor named in report: Halliburton
7. Former Iraqi Minister of Defense believed to have stolen over $1 billion
8. U.S. Justice Department investigating allegations

In the program, the BBC investigated two major sources of waste and theft: U.S. military contractors and corrupt Iraqi officials. The program examines the extent to which contractors such as Halliburton habitually inflated costs, in large part because they were the only company to bid on many of the contracts offered by the United States government. While the U.S. Justice Department is investigating allegations of fraud against the contractors, a gag order has been put in place by the Bush Administration to prevent discussion of the ongoing probe.

In addition, the program examines former Iraqi officials such as Hazem Shalaan, who headed the Iraq Ministry of Defense in 2004. After being indicted for allegedly pocketing over a billion dollars for himself and his associates, Shalaan fled the country and is currently on the run from Interpol.