USAID: IG Report, Kabul Bank Scandal, 16MAR11 (MDR)

Dear Mr. David  Scantling,
Attached is an acknowledgement letter assigning the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) number to your request.  You will be notified shortly of the assigned Government Information Specialist that will be processing this FOIA request.  If you have questions, please contact us on 202 712-0960 or by e-mail at
foia@usaid.gov. (mailto:foia@usaid.gov)
Pamela A. Smith
USAID
Bureau for Management
Office of Management Services
Information and Records Division
M"oving Development Forward

February 12, 2015

Dear Mr. Scantling:
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) regrets the delay in responding to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.  Unfortunately, USAID is experiencing a backlog of FOIA requests due to staff shortages.  Please know that USAID management is very committed to remedying the FOIA backlog. This acknowledges receipt of your ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­January 10, 2015 FOIA request to the USAID.  Due to the significant delay in acknowledging your request, all fees will be waived. Specifically, you requested a Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR). You requested the following agency records (including, but not limited to, electronic records):
(1) All classified documents, reports, data, meta-data, and imagery related to USAID's investigation of fraud, corruption and money laundering at the Kabul Bank, Kabul, Afghanistan;
(2) All classified documents, reports, data, meta-data and imagery related to USAID's internal investigation of its Economic Growth and Governance Initiative (EGGI) activities with the Central Bank of Afghanistan (DAB);
Before we proceed with your request, we would like to speak with you by phone.  The FOIA Officer, Lynn Winston, is available on Wednesday, February 18, 2015 from 1:00-2:00 pm.  Please respond to this email with your phone number and advise if this is a good time to call you.  If not, please provide some other dates and times.
Thank you for your continued patience and interest in USAID.
Sincerely,
/s/
Sylvia Lankford
Senior Government Information Speciaist
Bureau for Management
Office of Management Services
Information and Records Division

February 18, 2015
Dear  Mr. Scantling:
I am following up on an email message sent to you on February 12 regarding your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request re: Mandatory Declassification Review.  In that message, I asked that you contact me about a phone conference with Lynn Winston, FOIA Officer, for today, February 18 at 1:00 pm.
I asked that you send your phone number and advise if you were available at the time or needed to schedule another time.  I have not received a response from you.  Will you be available today?  Please provide your phone number.  Thanks.
Sylvia Lankford
Senior Government Information Specialist
USAID
Bureau for Management
Office of Management Services
Information and Records Division
202-712-0879

February 23, 2015
Dear Mr. Scantling:
This email concerns the two emails we sent to you on February 12 and 18.  In those emails, we asked for your phone number to set up a conference call with me and with the USAID FOIA Public Liaison, Lynn Winston.  We needed some clarification from you regarding your request for:
(1) All classified documents, reports, data, meta-data, and imagery related to USAID's investigation of fraud, corruption and money laundering at the Kabul Bank, Kabul, Afghanistan;
(2) All classified documents, reports, data, meta-data and imagery related to USAID's internal investigation of its Economic Growth and Governance Initiative (EGGI) activities with the Central Bank of Afghanistan (DAB).
We have not received a response from you.  Your request has been placed on hold pending your response.  If we do not receive a response from you within 10 days from the date of this email, March 9, we will consider your nonresponse a withdrawal of your request.  Accordingly, your request will be closed and no further action will be taken on it.
Sincerely,
Sylvia Lankford
Senior Government Information Specialist (FOIA) USAID
M/MS/IRD, Room 2.7C RRB
Washington, DC 20523-2701
202 712-0879 (tel:202%20712-0879) office
202 216-3070 (tel:202%20216-3070) fax
slankford@usaid.gov (mailto:slankford@usaid.gov)
“M”oving Development Forward

02/23/2015

March 11, 2015
Dear  Mr. Scantling:
This is the final response to your January 10, 2015 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).  We received your request in this office on January 12, 2015.  Specifically, you requested for a Mandatory Declassification Review and requested the following agency records:
* All classified documents, reports, meta-data, and imagery related to USAID’s investigation of fraud, corruption and money laundering at the Kabul Bank, Kabul, Afghanistan; All classified documents, reports, meta-data, and imagery related to USAID’s internal investigation of its Economic Growth and Governance Initiative (EGGI) and activities with the Central Bank of Afghanistan (DAB).
S ince we did not have a phone number for you on file, on February 12 and again on February18, 2015, we sent emails asking to set up a phone conference with you to seek clarification of your request.   We did not receive a response.  We advised you in a third correspondence on February 23 that if we did not receive a response from you by March 9, 2015, your request would be administratively closed. To date, we have not received a response from you.  Because we have not received the requested information, we assume you are no longer interested.  As such, we are administratively closing your request.  No further action will be taken on it, and you will incur no fees. If you have any questions or would like to discuss this matter, you may contact this office at or by phone on (mailto:foia@usaid.gov) foia@usaid.gov (202) 712-0960 Thank you for your interest in USAID. Sincerely, /s/ Sylvia Lankford
Senior Government Information Specialist
Bureau for Management
Office of Management Services
Information and Records Division