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Ghani’s bodyguard claims he has proof the ex-president stole millions
A senior member of the former president’s security staff said on Sunday that Ashraf Ghani took with him “hundreds of millions” of dollars in cash while fleeing Kabul in August.
Brigadier General Piraz Ata Sharifi, who was head of Ghani’s bodyguard unit, said he also has video proof of this alleged theft.
In an interview with the UK’s Daily Mail, Sharifi, who is currently in hiding, said he saw huge bags of cash being transferred but also acquired a video clip from a CCTV camera.
“I have a [CCTV] recording [from the palace] which shows that an individual at the Afghan Bank brought a lot of money to Mr Ghani before he left,” Mr Sharifi claimed.
“Hundreds of millions, perhaps billions of dollars. There were many big bags, and they were heavy.”
He said he was disappointed as he liked Ghani. “This money was for the currency exchange market.
“Each Thursday, the dollars were brought for that purpose. Instead, it was taken by the president. Mr Ghani knew in the end what would happen. So, he took all the money and escaped,” Sharifi said.
Ghani, however, last month denied the allegation that he left Kabul with a helicopter full of cash, stating he left with only the clothes he was wearing.
Reports first emerged in late August that Ghani fled the country on August 15 taking $169 million in cash with him.
His abrupt departure allowed the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to take Kabul two weeks before the US troop withdrawal had been completed.
However, last week, the US government’s inspector general in charge of investigating misuse of aid money in Afghanistan told Congress he’s “looking into” claims that Ghani and his subordinates stole millions of dollars before fleeing.
“We haven’t proven that yet. We’re looking into that,” Inspector General John Sopko said during a House hearing on Afghanistan.
“There are allegations, but not only with President Ghani. There are allegations with senior officials in their finance ministry, their central bank and a number of other ministries walking off with millions of dollars,” he said.
“But again, those are just allegations. We have not confirmed any of those yet,” he said.
Pakistan on Friday summoned Afghan Deputy Head of Mission in Islamabad to convey “strong demarche” over a deadly attack on a military camp in North Waziristan District that killed four Pakistani soldiers.
In a statement, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the attack was carried out by a faction of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The statement said that Pakistan conveyed “grave concern over the continued support and facilitation” provided by the Islamic Emirate to TTP.
Pakistan has demanded “a full investigation and decisive action against the perpetrators and facilitators of the terrorist attacks launched against Pakistan from Afghan soil.”
It urged the Islamic Emirate “to take immediate, concrete and verifiable measures against all terror groups operating from its territory, including their leadership, and deny the continued use of Afghan soil for terrorism against Pakistan.
According to the statement, the Islamic Emirate has been “categorically informed that Pakistan reserves the right to defend its sovereignty and protect its citizens, and will take all necessary measures to respond to terrorism originating from Afghan soil.”
Pakistani officials have repeatedly claimed that attacks in the country are originated from Afghan soil, a charge the Islamic Emirate denies.
President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev has underscored Afghanistan’s continued importance in regional cooperation, saying the country remains one of the key areas of interaction among regional partners.
Addressing the first summit of the “Central Asia Plus Japan” dialogue, Mirziyoyev said participating countries share a common aspiration to see Afghanistan become peaceful, stable, and oriented toward meaningful development.
The Uzbek president praised Japan’s longstanding and consistent support for Afghanistan, noting that Tokyo has for many years been among the leading donors and partners assisting the Afghan people.
He expressed confidence that coordinated efforts and joint contributions by regional countries and Japan would help improve living standards in Afghanistan, advance socio-economic and infrastructure development, and facilitate the country’s active involvement in regional economic projects.
The Embassy of Japan in Afghanistan announced on Friday that the country has allocated $19.5 million in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.
In a statement, the Japanese Embassy said it hopes the aid will help bring positive change to the lives of vulnerable Afghans.
According to the statement, the assistance will cover the basic humanitarian needs of vulnerable communities in Afghanistan.
The embassy added that the aid will be delivered through United Nations agencies, international organizations, and Japanese non-governmental organizations operating in Afghanistan.
Japan’s total assistance to Afghanistan since August 2021 has reached more than $549 million.
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