Need for effective anti-graft policy stressed

KABUL): The joint independent anti-corruption Monitoring and Evaluation Committee (MEC) chairman on Tuesday asked the Afghan government to frame necessary polices against graft.

Addressing a news conference, MEC Chairman Drago Kos suggested the people behind the Kabul Bank crisis and other embezzlement at Daud Khan Hospital should be tried publicly.

He said the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) had also been urged to make policy for fighting corruption in assistance from the international community.

Amendments to customs regulation, creation of a joint force to control the quality of imports at borders, information about land grab issues from relevant departments and training procurement officials are among major suggestions of the committee.

Kabul Bank, the country’s largest private lender, ran into serious financial problems last year due to issuance of unauthorised loans and other anomalies. Later, the Ministry of Finance accepted some shares of the bank, currently operating under the name of New Kabul Bank.

A member of the committee, Mohammad Yasin Osmani, said the international community had provided $40 million (1.9 billion afghanis) to Daud Khan Hospital, but there was huge embezzlement in utilisation of the assistance.

Both the Afghan government and the global fraternity had been asked for clarifications, he said. The outcome of an investigation into the two cases was not acceptable to the committee, he added.

A fresh investigation was underway, the officials explained, hoping with implementation of their suggestions, the level of corruption could be lowered.

Charged with developing clear and objective benchmarks for progress in fighting corruption, the MEC maiden meeting is a follow-up to commitments the government had held out at London and Kabul Conferences.
frm/mud

Visits: 0