Firm probed for overcharging U.S. agency

Firm probed for overcharging U.S. agency    Louis Berger Group Inc., an engineering and construction management firm with broad experience in transportation infrastructure projects, is under investigation by U.S. federal prosecutors for allegedly overcharging the U.S. government for reconstruction work in Afghanistan, according to the Associated Press.
   The criminal and civil investigations focus on whether the Morristown, N.J., company submitted inflated invoices to the U.S. Agency for International Development, which oversees many of the government's development projects in Afghanistan, the AP said, citing federal court documents.
   Louis Berger is assisting the Panama Ports Co. with the expansion of the Port of Balboa at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal.
   Other maritime projects the company has been involved in include:
   ' Expansion and rehabilitation of the Port of Praia in Cape Verde.
   ' Rehabilitation of the port in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and damage assessments there after January's earthquake.
   ' The new Port Lekki in Nigeria.
   ' Expansion of Port Santos, Brazil. ' Eric Kulisch