Rahmanis stole millions of dollars: US diplomat

KABUL (Pajhwok): US Chargé d’Affaires Karen Decker has accused former of Wolesi Jirga a speaker and his son (Rahmanis) of stealing millions of dollars meant to support the Afghan security forces.

“The Rahmanis stole millions of dollars meant to support the #Afghan security forces. Uncovered by @USTreasury & @SIGARHQ , this massive fraud scheme robbed both the US and #Afghanistan,” Decker wrote on X.

On Monay, the US slapped sanctions on the former lower house speaker and his family for corruption.

The Treasury Department named the two accused as as Mir Rahman Rahmani, who served as speaker before the 2021 political change, and his son Ajmal Rahmani, also a legislator.

Concurrently, the Department of State designated the two, and their immediate family members under Section 7031(c) of the annual Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act for involvement in significant corruption as a public official.

The ex-speaker and his son allegedly used their hidden control of numerous companies to artificially inflate fuel contract prices by fraudulently submitting contract bids from multiple firms that obscured their involvement, rigging bids, and eliminating competition on US-funded contracts.

For example, in 2014, several families involved in the fuel business, including the Rahmanis, colluded to drive up the price of fuel on US-funded contracts by more than $200 million and eliminate competitor bids.

The Rahmani family is yet to comment on the allegations.

sa/mud