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'Corrupt' Afghan Ministers' List Unveiled
[Quqnoos] A list 15 of Afghan ministers deemed corrupt by the country's Attorney General has been presented to the Afghan parliament. Only fifteen? The list, presented to the parliament on Wednesday, includes 11 former, 4 current ministers as well as six provincial governors. It includes, Rangin Dadfar Spanta, the Foreign Minister, Hanif Atmar, the Interior Minister, Jalil Shams, the Minister of Economy and Nematullah Shahrani, ex-minister of Islamic Affairs and a top advisor to President Karzai. The deputy attorney general, Fazl Ahmad Faqiryaar, Thursday said the Foreign and Interior ministers' names had been included on the list because of a "sense of miscommunication". The list was released on the final day of a three-day anti-corruption conference in Kabul, in which President Karzai said his government is serious about cracking down on corruption. Former Minister of Women Affairs, Massouda Jalal and former Agriculture Minister, Sayed Hussain Anwari names are also on the list. The six governors named on the list include Balkh Governor, Atta Mohammad Noor and Ghazni Governor, Mohammad Usman Usmani. Western pressure on Karzai to tackle corruption is intense. Last month Brown said he was "not prepared to put the lives of British men and women in harm's way for a government that does not stand up against corruption." In his West Point Afghan strategy speech, Obama vowed there would be no more "blank cheques" to the Afghan government. In his inaugural speech for the second term last month, Mr Karzai said his ministers must be "competent and just". President Karzai is expected to unveil the list of his new cabinet in the next 48 hours. Posted by: Fred 2009-12-18 |
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