WJ secretary referred to AGO on graft charges

KABUL’s first deputy speaker on Saturday introduced the lower house secretary to the Attorney General Office (AGO) over embezzlement and employment of hundreds of people illegally, allegations rejected by the secretary.

Khudai Nazar Nasrat, secretary of the lower house, said the first deputy speaker, Hamayon Hamayon, accused him of embezzlement after he rejected his personal demands.

Talking to a press conference in the parliament building, Hamayon accused the secretary of corruption and illegal appointments. Khudai Nazar Nasrat has been on the post since for the last seven years.

Around 350 to 400 individuals have been employed in the secretariat of the lower house without passing the legal procedure, Hamayon alleged.

He said money in many contracts of the Wolesi Jirga had been embezzled by the secretariat and the AGO was responsible to seriously investigate the issue.

“There are enough evidence and documents available that prove embezzlement in the secretariat of the house,” he said.

In response to a question, Hamayon said: “Yes the administrative board of the house may also be involved in some corruption cases, which will become clear after the AGO investigation,” he said.

Hamayon, who formally shared the documents as evidence about corruption in the lower house secretariat with the AGO during the press conference, said the secretary should respond about his violations.

However, Wolesi Jirga secretary Khudai Nazar Nasrat rejected the allegations against him and said Hamayon had accused him to achieve his personal goals.

Nasrat said Hamayon wanted to fire financial director of the Wolesi Jirga and take leadership of some contracts especially stationary contract of the lower house.

“We established the Wolesi Jirga Television channel with donated money after many difficulties, but Hamayon says the channel airs no good programs except the morning program, so he now wants to operate the channel by a media outlet that belongs to him,” he said.

Nasrat said the first deputy speaker had warned them two days earlier of sharing the issue with the public.

mds/ma