ASIA
Corruption in the most war-hit country
Credible sources in Argavi district of Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province say that the previous mayor of the Taliban in this district collected about 12 million Afghani from the municipal revenue and did not deposit it into the government account. According to the sources, two of the accused who are in cahoots with this local Taliban official fled the country and went to Iran, while the Taliban mayor is currently in the district but yet to clear the government accounts.
Also, the director of agriculture of this district owes about 14 million Afghanis to the Taliban regime for the collection of “Ashroozkat” and besides that, he has embezzled hundreds of thousands of Afghanis. On the other hand, the previous police commander of the Taliban has also given two million and 800 thousand Afghanis for the sale of shops at Mandavi Gate in Vahdat city of the same district.
The Taliban, who claimed to fight financial and administrative corruption in Afghanistan, have now become the biggest perpetrators of corruption. Citizens of the country in different provinces are complaining about the increase in bribery, and extortion by the Taliban. Reliable sources have confirmed to Harici that some officials openly accept bribes.
Despite the Taliban’s claim of fighting corruption, the citizens of the country complain that members of this group are involved in widespread corruption. According to these citizens, the Taliban are deeply involved in corruption and extort money from every project under different titles. Also, there is no accountability and transparency in the implementation of development and government programs by the Taliban.
Embezzlement scheme: Taliban officials escaped to Iran with millions of Afghani
Sources in Argavi district of Badakhshan province say that a person known as “Qari Zubair”, the former mayor of this district, has pocketed 12 million Afghanis of municipal revenue. According to the sources, two of his accomplices named Nasir and Zainullah escaped from Afghanistan and went to Iran. These sources say that “Qari Zubair” has also converted and sold a part of the gate of Vahdat Shahr Clinic, which was towards the city, into a shop.
Sources add that currently a person named Shamsuddin known as “Mola Sham”, who was previously the deputy mayor of Ergo, has been appointed as the mayor of this district.
According to sources, this figure of the Taliban is a “professional thief and debtor of the people” and after being appointed as a supervisor, he paid off his debts, married two wives, bought several homes and cars. According to the sources, this local Taliban official is illiterate and now Zubair, the former mayor of the Taliban in Ergo, is supporting him.
It is also said that “Mola Sham” has cut down the trees in the streets of Vahdat city, which people have maintained for years, under the pretext of widening the road, and has destroyed the green space of this city. According to the sources, after people protested on social networks, local Taliban officials from Faizabad prevented the continuation of cutting trees in this district.
Moreover, Maulvi Sirat, the former Taliban police commander for Ergo district, has converted the Mandavi gate of this district into a shop and sold it to the public for two million and 800 thousand Afghanis.
Several high-ranking Taliban officials are involved in corruption
These sources also say that another person named Qari Hamed, the director of agriculture of Argo district, who was responsible for collecting “Ashrouzkat” for the Taliban, is in debt of about 14 million Afghanis and he himself has admitted to this. This is the only amount that he admitted and the hundreds of thousands of other Afghans he pocketed, he has no account with the Taliban in this regard.
These concerns have been raised while in the new report of the Transparency International Organization, Afghanistan under the rule of the Taliban has been placed in the 165th position in the global ranking of the fight against corruption in 2024, falling three places.
In this ranking, Afghanistan is in 165th place with 17 points. Transparency International annually ranks 180 countries based on perceived levels of corruption, from 0 (very corrupt) to 100 (very clean).