At the Pentagon, overpriced fuel sparks allegations - and denials - of a slush fund
Washington
THE Pentagon has generated almost US$6 billion over the past seven years by charging the armed forces excessive prices for fuel and has used the money - called the "bishop's fund" by some critics - to bolster mismanaged or underfunded military programmes, documents show.
Since 2015, the Defense Department has tapped surpluses from its fuel accounts for US$80 million to train Syrian rebels, US$450 million to shore up a prescription-drug programme riddled with fraud and US$1.4 billion to cover unanticipated expenses from the war in Afghanistan, according to military accounting records.
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