Presidential Palace imposes travel restrictions on Ministry of Finance employees

The Presidential Palace in a decree has imposed a new travel restriction on employees of the Ministry of Finance.  

Under the decree, the Ministry’s employees – up to grade 5th posts – are not allowed to travel abroad without the coordination with the presidential office.

While the judiciary is the only authority to issue an exit ban, the decree asked the Finance Ministry to provide the president’s office a clear mechanism on how its employees should adjust their travel.

Meanwhile, Mir Rahman Rahmani, the Speaker of the House of Representatives stated that the government’s move shows a great deal of discredit in government entities, as well as to indicate presidential interference into the judiciary.

Integrity Watch of Afghanistan also says that the government has not taken appropriate steps to combat corruption in the Ministry of Finance, and “many of its actions were illegal.”

Ministry of Finance, however, declined to comment on the matter.

This comes as the government had previously banned 68 officials and employees of the Ministry of Finance from leaving the country on allegation of corruption.