Possible fraud in management of Iraq rebuilding funds, US investigator says News
Possible fraud in management of Iraq rebuilding funds, US investigator says

[JURIST] US officials and members of the Iraqi government have mismanaged $24 million in reconstruction grants made by the US in 2004, and fraudulent activities may have occurred in some of the cases, according to a report [text, PDF] released Wednesday by the US Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction [official website]. Inspector General Stuart Bowen [official profile] said he has recommended an investigation into several cases of potential fraud related to grants given to Iraq's south-central region to help rebuilding efforts after the US invasion in 2003. The grants were meant to be used for projects including road repair, media work, and efforts to bring heightened awareness to women's rights issues, but it is not clear that the money was actually spent on those goals. Bowen's report said that individuals working for the Coalition Provisional Authority [official website] have not been able to account for $20.5 million in funds, and audits into these monies are still ongoing. The report recommends stricter controls over grants and also calls for the creation of an investigatory team to research whether other regions in Iraq had similar issues in managing grants. Reuters has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

38 Santee Sioux hanged by US for rebellion

On December 26, 1862, 38 Santee Sioux men were hanged in a mass execution for their roles in a rebellion against US authorities in Minnesota which left hundreds dead and made refugees of some 40,000 white settlers. Government annuities promised under a treaty with the Sioux had failed to arrive on schedule and credit for purchases was not advanced in the meantime, threatening the tribe with starvation. The Santee Sioux Tribe's members were deported first to South Dakota and ultimately to Nebraska, where they remain today. Learn more about the 1862 Minnesota Sioux Rebellion.

Louis XVI put on trial during French Revolution

On December 26, 1792, Romain de Sèze, a defense attorney for deposed King Louis XVI, presented a defense of his client. The former King was on trial before a French Revolutionary court on thirty-three charges, including treason and other crimes against the state. He was convicted on January 15, 1793 executed by guillotine on the following January 21.