Wolesi Jirga Approves Asset Registration of Gov’t Officials

Afghanistan House of Representatives nationally known as Wolesig Jirga has approved the law for asset registration of government officials today, as many of the representatives picked up their green cards and voted publically on favor of the law.

All afghan officials are compelled, since the approval of the law, to register their assets for ensuring more transparency and accountability.

The law was recently sent to the House of Representatives for approval and a commission chief of the House said that some representatives and even commissions, including the commission he leads, were against the law.

Sharif Balkhabi, the Legislative Commission Chief of the House said that “the law of asset registration of government officials was discussed in commissions and some commissions, including my commission, wanted to disapprove the law”.

Meanwhile, some representatives are insisting on asset registration of Afghan National Assembly members and some others says that there is no reason to reject the law.

“The assets of representatives also need to be registered, as assets of government officials. It has to be changed into a culture and a transparent accountability systems should be created,” said Ramazan Bashardost, who regularly criticizes the waste of national assets by statesmen.

The law was approved amid huge pressure of the International Community upon the National Unity Government for bringing reforms and fighting corruption in Afghanistan.

Some top Afghan officials are reportedly involved in the systematic corruption and few high ranking officials have recently been arrested and transferred to the justice and judicial agencies for further prosecutions.