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US military contractor sentenced for taking bribes in Afghanistan
A US military contractor was sentenced this week to three years and 10 months in prison for accepting bribes from an Afghan contractor.
Orlando Clark, 57, was deployed to Afghanistan to evaluate bids for US-funded reconstruction contracts in 2011 and 2012.
The Department of Justice said Clark and co-conspirator Todd Coleman, an analyst at a different US company, accepted payments of around $400,000 from an Afghan company in return for helping it to win around 10 contracts.
To conceal their conduct, Clark and Coleman registered fictitious companies in Georgia and opened bank accounts to which bribes were sent via wire transfers from Afghanistan.
Clark and Coleman also created false invoices to make it appear as though they were involved in a car-exporting business in the UAE. In reality, Clark and Coleman used the bribe payments to purchase personal items, such as BMWs.
During the scheme, Coleman and Clark also travelled to the UAE to receive cash bribes, which they then smuggled into the US.
In addition, between 2015 and 2020, Clark also received bribes to sign false letters of recommendation for visas for Afghan nationals who worked as translators with US forces in Afghanistan.
Coleman, 48, was sentenced in February to two years and nine months in prison for his role in the schemes.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghanistan, has questioned Pakistan’s commitment to the welfare of the Afghan people, citing Islamabad’s policies over the past three decades.
Khalilzad said in a post on X that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif advocated for the rights of Afghan women during his speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday.
Sharif said: “Fundamental rights of the Afghan people — especially women and girls — must be respected.”
Responding to the remarks, Khalilzad said Pakistan’s policies over the past 30 years raise questions about Sharif’s commitment to Afghan welfare.
He cited Pakistan’s support for militant groups against US forces and what he described as the poor treatment of Afghan refugees as examples.
Khalilzad also said Afghanistan and Pakistan need and should have much better relations, adding that “a reset is necessary.”
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Rabab Fatima, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X that Misri underscored the need to keep addressing the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people as a priority.
Misri also appreciated the role of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and reaffirmed India’s continued cooperation with the United Nations on Afghanistan.
The meeting comes as Afghanistan continues to face humanitarian and economic challenges, with international agencies warning of significant needs among the Afghan population.
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi has called for pragmatic and coordinated international engagement with Afghanistan, saying the country’s long-term stability is closely linked to the security and sustainable development of Central Asia.
Speaking during the general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, Tileuberdi said humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan remains essential but alone cannot break the cycle of poverty, displacement and dependency.
He said Kazakhstan supports a “pragmatic, coordinated and step-by-step” approach to international engagement with Afghanistan, with the United Nations playing a central role.
Tileuberdi also said Kazakhstan is working with the UN to operationalize the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
He said the success of the centre should be measured by the results and assistance it delivers to the region.
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