US vote saves Iraq audit agency

Billions of dollars have been spent on rebuilding Iraq

The US Senate has voted to extend the lifespan of the US government agency that has exposed reconstruction corruption in Iraq.

The vote is an attempt to reverse an earlier law that said the office should close by 2007.

A bipartisan plan said the audit body should stay open until a fixed amount of reconstruction money has been spent, rather than by a fixed date.

The earlier decision to close the audit had concerned US lawmakers.

'Important work'

The Senate voted in favour of keeping the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) open until 10 months after 80% of the funds to reconstruct Iraq have been spent, rather than setting a strict date.

The Senate vote, which comes soon after the Democrats gained control of both the Senate and House of Representatives in mid-term elections, gained support from both parties.

"The important work of this watchdog must continue, as long as American funds are being used for Iraqi reconstruction," said Republican senator Susan Collins of Maine.

The move to prolong the office's existence was linked to a bill on military construction spending.

Under the bill, tipped to be passed in the Senate this week, the office would also oversee $1.7bn to train and equip Iraqi security forces.

The SIGIR was opened in March 2004 to assess the $18bn set aside to reconstruct Iraq.

It has issued 73 audit reports and 65 project assessments. Its work has also led to the arrest of five people and the convictions of four for fraud.