AGO urged to tighten recruitment procedures in order to hire honest prosecutors

The Integrity Watch of Afghanistan proposed a new framework for hiring procedures for the Afghanistan Attorney General’s office, urging the organization to establish an anti-corruption commission in its HR department to ensure suitable prosecutors would be hired at the office.

The policy summary released by the Integrity Watch of Afghanistan on Wednesday examines the proposed model for hiring new prosecutors, which is envisaged in the draft law on the formation and competence of the Attorney General. 

The draft, while emphasizing fundamental reforms, says it has proposed an efficient alternative model to the Attorney General’s Office in line with international standards.

“We welcome the amendment of the law on the formation and competence of the Attorney General’s Office as a step forward, but the recruitment mechanism for prosecutors must comply with international standards and cover the entire recruitment cycle,” said Sayed Ikram Afzali, CEO of Integrity Watch of Afghanistan.

The organization added that the new draft for the AGO is more comprehensive than the current law, but the chapter on the inherent affairs of prosecutors does not contain provisions that can reduce and eliminate corruption in the employment sector.

“The Office of the Attorney General should establish the Attorney General’s Service Commission in order to successfully fight corruption,” said Ziafatullah Saeedi, an Integrity Watch of Afghanistan’s Law Enforcement Officer.

Integrity Watch of Afghanistan further said that the AGO needs more reforms particularly in terms of the selection of any future Attorney General through a transparent, open, and competitive process.