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More high-ranking officials face prosecution over COVID-19 funding fraud
Two provincial governors and two former governors were on Tuesday referred to the Attorney General’s Office on suspicion of embezzlement of COVID-19 funds, sources have confirmed.
The fraud suspects are Wardak Governor Abdul Yamin Muzaffaruddin, Badakhshan Governor Zakaria Sawda, former Nuristan governor Hafiz Abdul Qayum and former Herat Governor Abdul Qayum Rahimi.
This comes after former Public Health Minister, Ferozuddin Feroz, and a number of current and former health officials were referred to the AGO on suspicion of misuse of authority and embezzlement of COVID-19 funds on Monday.
The Inspector General’s Office of Afghanistan said in a statement that the body was tasked in late June to investigate the issue following a presidential decree to this effect.
“According to Inspector Office’s findings, the former Public Health Minister of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, along with four of the ministry’s deputies, including one current deputy minister, is suspected of misuse of authority and embezzlement of resources related to the Coronavirus,” the statement said.
In July, the Inspector General’s Office accused officials of mismanagement and warned that they could be prosecuted.
The Inspector-General Ghezal Haris told media at the time that officials failed to ensure transparency in utilizing government resources.
The inspector general said the office’s initial findings indicate a lack of transparency in the COVID-19 budget expenditure, saying goods had been bought at a much higher price than the market value.
An example was that for a digital thermometer, in Badakhshan, the price had been 12,000 AFs, in Herat 24,000 AFs, and in Logar 91,000 AFs.
“Despite money having been allocated to fight the coronavirus, in some provinces, beds, mobile phones or 75-inch TVs have been purchased,” Haris said.
The Inspector General’s Office also found that although the government paid to purchase new medical equipment, the authorities, in some cases, bought used medical equipment and supplies.
Tajik authorities say their border guards clashed with militants who crossed into Tajikistan’s Khatlon region from Afghanistan on Tuesday night.
Tajikistan’s State Committee for National Security said in a statement that militants intended to carry out an armed attack on one of the border outposts.
Three militants were killed and two Tajik soldiers died in the clash. From the scene, three firearms—an M-16 rifle and a Kalashnikov assault rifle—three foreign-made pistols equipped with suppressors, ten hand grenades, one night-vision device, explosives, and other military equipment were seized, according to the committee.
This was the third reported attack from Afghanistan into Tajikistan in the past month, with the previous ones targeting Chinese nationals.
The Islamic Emirate previously said it assured Tajikistan it was ready to tighten border security and conduct joint investigations.
Business
Afghanistan’s first aluminum can factory launched in Herat with $120 million investment
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, laid the foundation stone of the “Pamir” aluminum can production company at the industrial parks of Herat on Thursday.
Afghanistan’s first aluminum can manufacturing plant was officially launched on Thursday in Herat province, marking a significant step toward industrial development and economic self-reliance.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, laid the foundation stone of the “Pamir” aluminum can production company at the industrial parks of Herat on Thursday.
According to officials, the Pamir factory is the first of its kind in Afghanistan and is being established with an investment of $120 million. The project will be built on 16 jeribs of land within Herat’s industrial zones.
Once completed, the factory is expected to create employment opportunities for around 1,700 Afghan citizens. Officials say the project will play a key role in boosting domestic production, reducing reliance on imports, and strengthening the national economy.
Authorities described the launch of the project as a clear sign of growing investment in the industrial sector and ongoing efforts to promote economic self-sufficiency in the country.
Latest News
Medvedev: IEA posed less threat to Russia than western-backed groups
He added that such organisations have consistently pursued one objective: “to break apart the multiethnic people of Russia.”
Russia’s Deputy Chairman of the Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, has said that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) caused less harm to Russia than Western-backed civic organisations that, he claims, sought to undermine the country’s unity.
In an article published in the Russian journal Rodina, Medvedev wrote that while the IEA had long been designated as a terrorist organisation, its actions did not inflict the same level of damage on Russia as what he described as Western-supported institutions operating under the banner of academic or humanitarian work.
“Let us be honest: the Taliban (IEA) movement, long listed as a terrorist organisation, has caused modern Russia far less damage than all those pseudo-scientific institutions whose aim is to dismantle our country under the guise of aiding the oppressed,” Medvedev stated.
He added that such organisations have consistently pursued one objective: “to break apart the multiethnic people of Russia.”
Medvedev’s remarks come amid a shift in Russia’s official stance toward Afghanistan. In April, Russia’s Supreme Court suspended the ban on the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, which had previously been included on the country’s list of terrorist organisations.
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