Others simply instruct bookkeepers to invent fictitious contracts and transfer money directly to personal bank accounts.

During the debate I consulted our services and I can read the four points of the French text I have on the so-called issue of fictitious contracts.

Working for German news magazine Stern, for months he wrote his successive findings and Stern magazine published his revelations about hidden accounts and fictitious contracts.

The report, which noted that auditors had found instances of false invoices, double-billing and fictitious contracts, was written in a simple style that has become Ms. Fraser's trademark.

The indictment also charged that Mr. Guerin laundered more than $950 million to help cover up the fictitious contracts and illegally exported some $50 million of arms to South Africa.

According to the story, there have been a dozen cases of DOD embezzlement in recent years, featuring such dodges as clerks creating fictitious contracts and then honoring them--with checks to themselves.

A group of fraudsters, one of whom posed as Ogwuma, convinced a senior officer of a Brazilian bank to pay this amount to fund a fictitious contract with the Ministry of Aviation.

And because the Dinkins administration exerted considerable pressure on agencies to open up their contracting to more women- and minority-owned companies, he said, some resistant officials may have tried to cover up their foot-dragging by creating fictitious contracts.

It noted instances of false invoices, fictitious contracts and double-billing as the companies distributed money to put Canadian flags at public functions and subsidize various programs like a television documentary about the hockey great Maurice Richard.

In the last few weeks we have learned of the arrest of a political figure in one Member State of the European Union who has falsified invoices and fraudulently obtained money from the Commission for fictitious contracts in the tourism sector.

That is why, Mr Liikanen, I would very much like a statement from you, in today's plenary debate, on how the Commission proposes to deal with the second condition, that is the question of handing over documents concerning the fictitious contracts to the judicial authorities competent in each case.

In another instance of questionable money transfers, Fraser's audit showed that Via Rail Canada Inc. was used by Lafleur Communication Marketing to handle the transfer of nearly $1 million towards the same television series on Maurice Richard, using what the auditor general called a "fictitious contract."