Embassy wall: 4 officials referred to AGO over corruption

KABUL of the Afghan Embassy wall in Washington.

Eng. Haseebullah Kalimzai Wardak, head of the Senate International Relations Commission, said officials from the ministries of foreign affairs and iInformation and culture and Pajhwok Afghan News editor in chief were summoned on Saturday by the Commission to provide information regarding the reconstruction of the embassy wall in Washington.

“In initial stages, it was a four metres wall that needed $20,000 to be reconstructed. The amount was dispatched last year by the MoFA, but some government officials, including presidential advisors, expanded the project without informing the MoFA and offered the contract at higher rate of $1.8 million to a company. Other companies were ready to build the same wall at lower cost,” Wardak said.

He accused former acting Finance Minister and Presidential Advisor Humayon Qayyumi and another presidential advisor Shad Mohammad Sargand, Qayyumi’s secretary and Sargand’s son-in-law of committing corruption in the wall’s reconstruction.

He said findings of the Commission showed that massive corruption had taken place in the project and it was decided that four government officials allegedly involved in the corruption would be referred to the AGO for investigation.

He said the official letter to refer Qayyumi, Sargand and two others to the AGO was ready and would be dispatched to the investigation body today (Sunday).

Chairman Fazal Hadi Muslimyar said in the current economic situation of Afghanistan, corruption was a huge treason and the president should take serious notice of this matter.

He said investigation by the International Affairs Commission of the house would be conveyed to the president and he himself would discuss the issue with the president.

According to Pajhwok Afghan News investigative report, the Afghanistan Embassy in the United States reconstructed its boundary wall measuring 70 meters at a cost of around 1,825,839 US dollars after its reconstruction for $88,000 was rejected by the embassy.

For building the 70-meter wall, KADCON Corporation has been given $1,586,000, VIKA Company received $12,750 for survey, ECS received $12,250 for soil test, KCE received $64,839 for technical advices and DLA Piper received $150 for making contracts and legal consultation.

Nh/ma

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