COVID19 funds in Afghanistan; accountability under question

The process of distributing millions of US$ aid received from the world to fight against the Coronavirus in Afghanistan is vague and has raised many concerns.

Some members of parliament say that aid money to Afghanistan should be spent transparently for the needy, adding that elements under the Coronavirus project are trying to embezzle in it.

Ghulam Hossain Naseri, a member of the House of Representatives, said, “The Corona project has been set up to falsify fraud and theft from the treasury, and those involved in the emergency process are in it. If there is a conscience, the money would be used only to fight Coronavirus.”

Zalmai Noori, a member of the House of Representatives, said, “The government has stopped implementing developmental projects to fight the virus instead. The world has also donated millions of dollars.” He added, “The government, however, has not clarified its plan on how to use the funds.”

“Food prices have gone up and people are in a quarantine facing a lot of difficulties,” said Sadaf Karimi, an MP, adding that the government needs to get them back on track.

Meanwhile, the first deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Mirza Mohammad Katawazi, stressed that a government delegation should be set up to oversee the use of the funds.

Scores of members of the parliament emphasize that protecting the lives of the people is a legal responsibility of the government – it has to step up to prevent the human crisis hitting Afghanistan.