55 major graft cases under investigation

KABUL (Pajhwok): Fifty-five huge administrative corruption cases including those involving high ranking government officials have been sent to the Anti-Corruption Justice Center and the investigation process has been underway, the Attorney General Office said on Tuesday.

AGO spokesman Jamshid Rasooli told a press conference here that since the Anti-Corruption Justice Center’s work launch three months ago, 55 major corruption or high-ranking corrupt government officials’ cases had been sent to the centre, which were being investigated.

According to Rasooli, the cases included 16 from the Presidential Palace relating to the ministries of defence, interior, communications and information technology, commerce and industries, public health and the census and registration organization.

The AGO’s spokesman, while referring to the first-ever session of the centre held three days back, said the anti-corruption process would continue with more seriousness.

During the first-ever hearing of the centre, two corruption cases involving a military attorney and a high-ranking private bank official were addressed. The bank official was sentenced to 10 years in jail after being found guilty and the hearing in the second case was adjourned until next week.

Rasooli said in total 31 accused had been detained in the cases and some other suspects had been bailed out but their hearing would be held soon.

He said the centre would also address other cases involving ordinary people and low scale government officials.

Jamshid Rasooli said the cases under investigation included money laundering, embezzlement, graft, stealing and selling Afghanistan’s historic and cultural monuments, excavation of mines illegally and usurpation of public property.

sns/ma