Sultanzoy among 20 AAA officials facing graft charges

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Attorney General Office (AGO) has accused 20 people, including incumbent Kabul Mayor DawodSultanzoy, and former Aryana Afghan Airline (AAA) head DawodSharifi of embezzling over $1.4 million in 2015 Hajj Scheme.

According to AGO, one of AAA employees received $400 per month for three years as mobile credit.

Pajhwok has obtained a copy of a letter related to this graft case from the Special Attorney office of the Criminal Justice Task Force Centre of AGO.

The letter, accompanied by the document explaining the corruption case, is issued on February 19 and sent to the primary anti-corruption court.

In line with presidential decree, the AGO investigated illegal activities of the AAA from 2012 to 2016.

According to the source, the AGO department dealing with corruption cases received documents on February 17 in which 20 people have been accused of misuse of their authority, violating laws, embezzlement and illegal appointments.

The source added current Kabul Mayor Dawod Sultanzoy who serves as presidential advisor and head of Hajj Committee, AAA former Head Dawod Sharifi and 18 other personnel of AAA had been accused of $458,000,330 embezzlement in the Hajj Scheme.

The 14,216-page case in 12 cartons has been dispatched to the primary anti-corruption court by the designate attorney general.

Accusations are as following:

The Attorney General wrote that AAA inked the pilgrims transfer agreement with other companies — Kabo Air, Kairo Asian — at a time when the AAA had the capacity to transfer pilgrims. The contract with strange companies did not complete procurement process as well.

The source wrote that airlines crew travel expense was the responsibility of the hired airline but still AAA provided $379,600 to the company in travel allowance of the airline crew members.

Documents show that in 2015 Kabo Air was offered $9,100 per one hour flight, but AAA approved similar contract at $12,000 against the relevant laws which inflicted the state treasury over $2 million loss.

During these five years AAA Technical Assistant Khalid Haris was offered $3,000 salary and $2,000 for house rent.

During investigation, Khalid Haris said that he was appointed as technical assistant by the administrative penal of the AAA on June 05/ 2012 and his job was extended till 2016.

In addition, document shows that another AAA employee Sultana Ulumi was offered monthly $500 in house rent and $400 in mobile credit card in compliance with the orders of AAA Head DawodSharifi.

The assigned attorney general wrote that AAA inked 138 contracts in violation of procurement laws for stationary, food, lubricants, office rents, hotel rent, internet and aircraft charter expenses.

In 2012, all pilgrims took 360 hours to be transferred to Saudi Arabi, but AA offered the rented airlines for 735 hours.

This can be explained in another way like a corolla type vehicle consumes 200 litres of petrol but the company offers 300 or 400 litres of petrol.

The accused:

The document says that based on articles 17, 57, 73, 391, 398 and 403 of the penal code, Mohammad DaudSultanzoi (current Kabul mayor) and head of Hajj Committee at the time, Mohammad DaudSharifi, head of Ariana Afghan Airlines, Abdul RaoufSekandari, deputy operations head of the airline and a member of the Hajj Committee, Abdul Ali Froa, deputy commercial in charge of the airline and member of the Hajj Committee, Ahmad Shah Sekdanari, transport director, Mohammad Omar Ferasat, a tickets sale worker, Abdul MatinTaslim, operations manager, Imam Nabi acting procurement director, Mohammad Turabi, a member of airline’s operations team, Mohammad Khalid Haris, technical advisor of the airline, Abdul Wakil, salaries manager of the airline, Mohammad Nasim, control manager of the airline, Mohammad Osman, head accountant, Ahmad Shah Ahmadzai, finance assistant, Abdul Salam Shahzad, research director, and Ali Reza Yousufi and MirwaisTaniwal, airline workers are accused of embezzling $1,485,330.

Former economy ministers, Abdul SattarMurad, Abdul HadiArghandiwal and Mustafa Mastoor, former finance minister, EklilHakimi, former Ariana Airlines director, Mohammad NasirHakimi, commercial in charge of the airlines, Mohammad IshaqSarwar, procurement director of the airline, Wazir Ahmad Munib, finance and administrative director of the airline, Mohamamd Omar Mastoor, former finance directors of the airline, Ahmad FahimSafai and Mohammad Mustafa Zurmati, Ariana Afghan Airlines’ manager at the airport, Mohammad MoinAyazi, other workers of the airline, Sultana Olomi, GhulamFaroqTarakhel, Shah JahanJabarkhel and Shir Shah Suri are under investigation.

First vice-president, AmrullahSaleh, on February 28 in a Facebook post, praised the performance of Kabul mayor.

“Some wayward figures would be removed from Kabul municipality. The series of disobedience started after the mayor started exhorting pressure on some figures for bringing urban discipline and controlling bureaucracy. These wayward figures are being identified every day and referred to justice,” he said.

AGO quoted former Ariana Afghan Airlines head, Mohammad Daud Sharif as creating the Hajj Committee based on directions from relevant offices in order to accelerate the pilgrims transportation.

He had said that airplanes rent and some other activities were based on assessments.

AGO said that the accused including Abdul MatinTaslim, Ahmad Shah Sekandari, Abdul Ali Froa, Imam Nabi, Ali Reza, HamidullahZazai, Mohammad Turabi, Khalid AhamdPanah, Ahmad Shah Ahmadzai, Mohammad Omar Farasat, Mohammad Omar Seyal, Abdul Salam Shahzad, MirwaisTaniwal, Abdul Wakil, Mohammad Nasim, Mohammad Osman and Abdul Maruf during interrogation said that they bore all responsibility in pilgrims transfer in 2015.

Some of the accused said that they worked according to the directions of their managers.

The article 25 of the constitution states: “Innocence is the original state. The accused shall be innocent until proven guilty by the order of an authoritative court.”

Nh/mds/ma

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