Stuart Bowen

Stuart W. Bowen, Jr., is an American lawyer who serves as the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR), a position he has held since October 2004. He previously served as the Inspector General for the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA-IG), a position to which he was appointed in January 2004. Bowen's mission includes ensuring effective oversight of the $50 billion appropriated for Iraq's relief and reconstruction. [Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR). http://www.sigir.mil/ - Retrieved: May 8, 2007.]

Background

Bowen previously served President George W. Bush as Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Staff Secretary and Special Assistant to the President and Associate Counsel.Fact|date=May 2007 He has been a partner at the law firm of Patton Boggs LLP, in its Washington, D.C. office. [Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/21/AR2005062101451.html "U.S. Attorney Gets 3 Cases in Iraq Fraud Probe", June 22 2005. - Retrieved: May 8, 2007] Before his White House tenure, Bowen served as Counsel to the Bush-Cheney transition team; and from 1994 to 2000, he held a variety of positions on Governor Bush's staff in Texas, including Deputy General Counsel, Deputy General Counsel for Litigation, and Assistant General Counsel.

From 1992 to 1994, Bowen served as an Assistant Attorney General of Texas in administrative law litigation. And from 1991 to 1992, he served as Briefing Attorney to Texas Supreme Court Justice Raul Gonzalez. Bowen is licensed by the Texas State Bar, Board Certified in Administrative Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, a variety of lower Federal courts, and all Texas state courts. Bowen spent four years on active duty as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Air Force, achieving the rank of Captain (military). He holds a B.A. from the University of the South, attended Vanderbilt University Law School, and received a J.D. from St. Mary's University School of Law.

pecial Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction

As "Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction", Bowen is tasked with providing oversight for over $50 billion in funds for the Iraq reconstruction effort. His office, initially criticized for being too close to the Bush Administration to provide proper oversight for the reconstruction effort, has been highly critical of the management of the funds used in Iraq. His investigations have led to criminal probes for fraud related to the "Development Fund for Iraq." [Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/21/AR2005062101451.html "U.S. Attorney Gets 3 Cases in Iraq Fraud Probe", June 22 2005. - Retrieved: May 8, 2007] In addition to cases of fraud, Bowen has found cases where projects in Iraq were abandoned, erroneously slated as completed or not sustained. [International Herald Tribune http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/29/news/rebuild.php "Major problems found in Iraqi rebuilding effort" April 29, 2007. - Retrieved: May 9, 2007.]

As a result of his efforts, the SIGIR position, which was initially intended to last for only 10 months after 80 percent of the reconstruction funds had been contracted out [Wall Street Journal. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05207/543937.stm "Former Bush aide turns critic as Iraq inspector", July 26, 2005. - Retrieved: May 9, 2007] , was extended several times due to support in the United States Congress.

In May 2006, Bowen came under investigation after anonymous complaints were filed with the President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency. In July 2008 Bowen was exonerated when the investigation was closed with no findings. In January 2008, Bowen spoke about the challenges of his job as an invited speaker of the Bangor, Maine Regional Chamber of Commerce, saying "I’m proud of the auditors and inspectors that have carried out the work that I have asked them to do, and they have done so under duress." [Bangor Daily News (Maine). http://bangornews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=158508&zoneid=500 "Inspector: Iraq rebuilding has mixed success", January 4 2008. - Retrieved: January 5, 2008]

References

External links

* [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/04/AR2005050402256_pf.html Audit of Iraq Spending Spurs Criminal Probe] , "Washington Post", May 5 2005
* [http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=anps9Ih6B6EE&refer=top_world_news U.S. Planned Poorly for Rebuilding Iraq, Inspector General Says] , "Bloomberg News", October 30, 2005
* [http://www.americablog.com/2008/03/inspector-general-for-iraq.html]