[JURIST] US Senator Brian Dorgan (D-ND) [official website] released a letter [press release] Friday confirming that allegations raised by an ex-Defense Department contractor regarding no-bid contracts awarded to a Halliburton [corporate website; JURIST news archive] subsidiary for work in Iraq have been turned over to the US Department of Justice (DOJ) [official website] for possible investigation. The letter, from Defense Department Assistant Inspector General John R. Crane, said that the department's criminal investigation wing is currently investigating the contracts, and has provided its findings to the DOJ. The allegations were first raised by Bunnatine H. Greenhouse, formerly the top procurement officer for the US Army Corps of Engineers [official website], during testimony given last summer before the Senate Democratic Policy Committee [official website] chaired by Dorgan. Greenhouse testified [JURIST report] that the government's award of a five year, no-bid contract for the repair of Iraqi oil fields to Halliburton division Kellogg, Brown and Root [corporate website] was similar to war profiteering. Greenhouse is suing the Department [JURIST report] after being demoted for "poor job performance" directly after her testimony. AP has more.