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.