Khalili seeks legal action over fake tape

KABUL (Pajhwok): Vice President Karim Khalili on Monday urged judicial organs to take action over the fake audiotape attributed to him by supporters of a presidential runner.

Last week, Dr. Abdullah’s campaign team released a tape in which Khalili was purportedly telling senior officials that the government would ensure Dr. Ashraf Ghani’s success in the runoff polls. But the VP rejected the tape as forged.

Abbas Basir, Khalili’s spokesman, told a press conference in Kabul: “Within the framework of law, I have gained access to the tape released by the Reform and Unanimity team. As long as we examine its authenticity, action should be taken.”

He added a petition signed by the vice-president had been referred to the Attorney General Office, praying judicial institutions to look into the matter and take concrete action. The election commission has also been asked to determine if the VP had been involved in electoral fraud.

Khalili’s spokesman said: “I believe the tape was manufactured and attributed to the VP to undermine the integrity of the electoral process, mislead the masses and damage national unity.”

According to Basir, Khalili has asked UN Secretary General’s Special Representative Jan Kubis to form a team of experts from the world body and other international organisations to examine the tape’s credibility.

He said if the authenticity of the tape was proven, the vice president was ready for being held accountable under the law. But if it is found fake by impartial experts, the individuals concerned should be prosecuted.

mud

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