Fight against corruption in 2016
In his first anti-corruption effort in 2017, Ghani, issued a decree and introduced the former Deputy Ministers of Interior Mujtaba Patang, Jamil Junbish and Jamal Naser Sediqi to the Attorney General’s Office to be investigated for alleged corruption; Ghani also imposed a travel ban on them. The President has also suspended the job of Minister of Communication and Information Technology for corruption accusations.
Although the leaders of the NUG has always stressed upon corruption as a major challenge and have constantly pledged resolute struggle against corruption to Afghans and International Community; but despite these pledges and even some practical efforts of the Afghan government, corruption has increased in 2016 compared to 2015 and the NUG has failed to tackle this phenomenon.
NUG’s struggle against corruption
Fight against corruption was one of the priorities and promises of the leaders of the NUG; but despite some efforts of the government, corruption in the Afghan administrations was on the rise during the two years of the NUG and still Afghanistan is one of the most corrupt countries in the world.
In his first days in office, President Ghani issued a decree to open the Kabul Bank Case and vowed to punish the culprits of this case; but after a few months, the government’s deed in this case weakened and in this regard the President failed to deliver his promises.
Formation of the National Procurement Commission with President Ghani as its head, investigation of the six cases of senior officials’ embezzlement in Ministry of Urban Development Affairs, imposing travel ban on the two former mayors of Kabul city and 150 debtors of Kabul Bank and cancellation of those contracts of Ministry of Defense that financial corruption was reported in them were other government efforts to fight corruption. But still the leaders of the NUG have not been able to prosecute the corrupt officials within the government. One reason behind it is the coalition format of the government and even when tensions had raised between the leaders of the government, the Afghan President accused the Chief Executive of supporting corrupt officials.
On the one hand, the NUG’s anti-corruption struggle was confined in slogans and on the other hand the undertaken measures against corruption were not coordinated and, as in case of Khalilullah Firozi, were in contradiction to each other.
Level of corruption in 2016
Beside other challenges, corruption was one of the major challenges of the government in 2016. In this year despite the repetitive promises of the government regarding serious struggle against corruption, Afghanistan was among the most corrupt countries in the world.
In recent report of Transparency International (TI), Afghanistan is ranked the third most corrupt country in the world [1] while in 2015, Afghanistan was positioned the fourth after Sudan, North Korea and Somalia. In another report, TI announced that 50% of Afghans have paid $4bn in bribe. [2]
Releasing a report a few months ago, the Integrity Watch Afghanistan (IWA) has also said that Afghans paid around $3bn in bribe every year and that, after unemployment and insecurity, corruption was the third major problem in Afghanistan. [3] Two years ago, IWA had stated that corruption was the second major problem of Afghans and had announced the amount of money paid as bribe to be $2bn.
In addition, in its annual survey, Asia Foundation has stated that in 2016, peoples’ discontent with the government was increasing and 50.9% of the interviewees in 34 provinces of the country were not satisfied with the NUG’s deeds. Based on a survey of the Center for Strategic and Regional Studies (CSRS), conducted in 2016, 76% of the interviewees have said that the NUG had not sincerely fought against corruption[4].
Criticizing corruption and appointing people in government offices in exchange for money in Afghanistan, the Representative of the United Nation in this country demanded practical reforms in terms of governance in Afghanistan. The UN officials have said that government offices were being sold like goods. [5]
Government’s practical efforts
In 2016, the NUG undertook some practical measures against corruption as well. These measures were often to prepare for the Brussels Conference where the NUG’s activities particularly in regards to fight against corruption was to be evaluated. In Brussels Conference, held on 4 and 5 October, the NUG’s leaders presented the dismissal of 600 judges, dismissal of 20 prosecutors and 25% of the customs employees, the confiscation of the passports of 100 senior government officials, registration of the assets of the 95% of the government officials, registration of 6000 properties, confirmation of around 1250 contracts and saving $220m by National Procurement Commission as its achievements. [6] However, other non-governmental institutions have not yet independently confirmed these efforts.
Another effort of the government was the formation of the High Office of Oversight and Anti-Corruption (HOOAC) with the President Ghani as its head. The Second Vice President, Head of Supreme Court, Attorney General, Minister of Justice, and the chairmen of the HOOAC are the members of this office. The office guides, leads and supports the activities related to the anti-corruption institutions in the country. In the meanwhile it prepares and approves the required plans and strategies and monitors the implementation of these plans and strategies; but unlike the expectations, the office have had fewer achievements.
The formation of Judicial Anti-Corruption Center (JACC) was another effort by the government to tackle corruption and its first meeting was held with the participation of the Afghan President and Chief Executive on July 28. Serious struggle against corruption and no political intervention in the affairs of this center was emphasized upon. Although the center was expected to begin its work with the cases of senior government officials but it investigated the case of a military prosecutor who was detained for receiving 50 thousand Afghanis in bribe as its first case and it is yet to undertake any fundamental step to decrease corruption in the country.
According to JACC, this center has investigated 31 cases of government officials’ corruption since the beginning of its work in late 2016. Detaining and prosecuting a senior officer of the Ministry of Interior accused of receiving $150000 in bribe, suspension of the jobs of the other eight senior officials and a deputy minister in this ministry, arresting 6 people accused of grasping lands and eight employees of the National Bank accused of corruption and investigation of the case of a police officer in Uruzgan who was arrested with $25000, 3 million Afghanis and some amount of Pakistani currency accused of money laundering are the fulfilments of this center.
Despite the government’s anti-corruption efforts in 2016, the reports of research institutions signify the government’s failure in this regard. Struggle against corruption is often the victim of expedients and unless this phenomenon is addressed seriously, it would not produce desirable outcomes. On the other hand, foreigners are also involved in corruption in Afghanistan, but the government has done nothing in this regard.
The end
[1] BBC’s report on transparency internationals report, read more here: http://www.bbc.com/persian/afghanistan/2016/01/160127_afghanistan_transparency_international_ranking
[2] For further info click here: http://da.azadiradio.com/a/27557807.html
[3] Read Jomhornews’ this report: http://jomhornews.com/doc/news/fa/88536
[4] Afghanistan in the past one and a half decade, a research and analytical report of CSRS, published in 1395 (2016-2017).
[5] Read more here: http://www.etilaatroz.com/40486
[6] CSRS, Brussels Conference: government’s achievements and international community’s pledges: