31 MoMP departments run illegally: MEC

KABUL (Pajhwok): A report of the Anti-Corruption Monitoring and Evaluating Committee (MEC) shows 31 departments of the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP) have illegally been run by acting officials.

MEC also said 589 positions of MoMP remained vacant and the ministry did not implement 25 of total 191 recommendations of the committee.

MEC provided 191 recommendations to MoMP after releasing a corruption evaluation report about the ministry in October 2018.

Maiwand Rohani, MEC secretary, told a press conference here that the committee released three investigative reports about implementation its recommendations and the one released today was the fourth.

“MoMP fully implemented only 21 of MEC’s recommendations since last one year, and in total, it implemented 91 of them while 71 have partially been enforced and 25 still remain untouched,” he said.

He added that the ministry did not implement recommendations on creating a professional mining center, annual evaluation of its different departments, increasing researchers, making a policy on mines on private lands, addressing environment protection issues and others.

Besides evaluation, MEC also assessed human resources section of MoMP in its recent evaluation, he added.

“MoMP has no progress regarding reforms in government related employments. The ministry’s 589 positions are vacant, 31 of its departments are led by acting officials, positions which are financed by donors are occupied by relatives because we were not given documents related to them,” he added.

Rohani said 589 positions in the ministry made 27 percent of total positions and most of them were eight to third grade. The ministry delayed filling these positions on the excuse of bringing reforms, he said.

 “Some acting officials in the ministry are advisors and contractual workers who cannot lead acting positions based on the Civil Services Law,” he said.

Edrees Hashemi, an investigator in MEC, said that MoMP finalized some evaluation documents regarding technical areas since last one year and based on which the ministry signed an agreement with the National Environment Protection Authority.

“Based on MEC recommendations, MoMP created 10 types of check lists for various types of minerals in the research area, it has created a new mechanism for internal research, in the past the ministry would not publish details of contracts but now they publish all related documents including announcements of contracts on its website,” he added.

He said MoMP also created capacity building programs for geological surveys based on MEC recommendations.

Abdul Qadir Mutfa, spokesman of MoMP, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the ministry has fully implemented 124 recommendations of MEC and 36 recommendation were under implementation, 21 were irrelevant to the ministry and 10 others were partially implemented.

He said the ministry has announced 71 first and second grade positions for open competition for employment of qualified individuals and no illegal appointments had been made recently.

Mutfa welcomed MEC report and said accuracy should be observed in figures and other issues in these reports.

Mds/ma