Letter to Attorney General Holder - DOJ Investigation Into Contracts With Russian Firm Arming Assad

Letter

U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) and colleagues sent the following letter to Attorney General Eric Holder asking the Department of Justice to assist the Pentagon's investigations into possible criminal activity by an Army acquisition office that procures helicopters from the Russian firm that is also providing weapons to Bashar al-Assad in Syria and prosecute any guilty parties.

"The prospect that American taxpayers have been made into unwitting victims of corruption demands special scrutiny. On a per aircraft basis, the Army is paying Rosoboronexport more than double what the Russian military itself is paying right now to buy nearly identical helicopters.

"We urge you to utilize all available resources, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to support any criminal investigation into these matters. If the allegations are founded, we urge you to ensure the guilty parties are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

Senator Cornyn is joined on the letter by 8 Senators and 23 Congressmen. The full text of the letter is below.

September 16, 2013
The Honorable Eric Holder
Attorney General
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001

Dear Attorney General Holder:

We write with great concern about reported allegations of criminal activity by one or more government officials within the Department of the Army's Non-Standard Rotary Wing Aircraft (NSRWA) Project Management Office, which leads the Department of Defense's troubled Mi-17 helicopter program. These allegations, if substantiated, would represent not just a violation of the law, but also a breach of the public trust.

According to an August 29, 2013, report from Reuters, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service has been conducting a criminal investigation and is examining "questionable transactions" by NSRWA, including potentially improper payments to Russian companies involved in Mi-17 overhauls, as well as problematic personal ties between one or more Army officials and these foreign entities.

In addition, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction has launched a probe into NSRWA's procurement of new Mi-17 helicopters, according to the Reuters report. Since 2011, NSRWA has negotiated and executed more than $1 billion worth of contracts for procurement of these Russian aircraft from Rosoboronexport, Russia's state-controlled arms exporter who simultaneously continues to supply weapons and ammunition to the Syrian government.

The prospect that American taxpayers have been made into unwitting victims of corruption demands special scrutiny. On a per aircraft basis, the Army is paying Rosoboronexport more than double what the Russian military itself is paying right now to buy nearly identical helicopters. These facts, taken together with the news report, raise very serious questions about the Army's entire Mi-17 program, including whether the various contracts for procurement and overhaul were the products of criminal misconduct.

In light of these ongoing concerns, we urge you to utilize all available resources, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to support any criminal investigation into these matters. If the allegations are founded, we urge you to ensure the guilty parties are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Thank you for your consideration of this important request.

Sincerely,

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