Paktia labor director suspended in corruption inquiry

GARDEZ (Pajhwok): An appellant court in southeastern Paktia province has suspended the provincial labor and social affairs director over corruption charges, an official said on Thursday.

Attaullah Fikree, director of the court, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the labor director, Mahbob Salamzai, was suspended after he was found involved in corruption in a 3.1 million afghanis project.

He said the accused had been refusing to appear before the attorney’s office and had claimed the documents of the relevant project were missing. He said the labor and social affairs director and three workers of the department had been suspended.

“It was a vocational and technical project on which approximately three million afghanis were spent, but the project could not be properly implemented.”

“When the prosecutor and the court ordered investigation, the director did not attend the judicial sessions,” he continued.

But Salamzai said his predecessor wanted to embezzle the money without implementing the project, but he frustrated his move. He said he would appear before the court, but his job had been suspended.

sa/ma