Noor orders cooperation ceased with anti-graft entity

MAZAR-I-SHARIF (Pajhwok): The governor’s house has formally asked public departments not to cooperate with anti-corruption officials in northern Balkh province, an official said on Monday.

Senior anti-corruption official in the northern zone, Shamsullah Javed, told Pajhwok Afghan News the governor’s house had sent letters to all the provincial government departments, asking them to break ties with the zonal High Office on Anti-Corruption.

A copy of the letter, available on Jawed’s Pacebook timeline, is addressed to the Balkh customs department.

The letter, apparently signed by Governor Atta Mohammad Noor, accused Javed of non-serious and irresponsible activities, misuse of authority and of creating problems for Balkh officials and earning them a bad name.

Therefore, the document said the provincial officials were advised to avoid attending meetings, conferences and workshops arranged by Javed until he had been replaced.

When contacted about the letter, Javed told Pajhwok similar copies of it had been sent to all provincial departments by the governor’s house. He called the move against the Constitution and in violation of the anti-corruption law’s Article 6.

About the demand seeking his replacement, Javed said it was up to the central government, but he had not yet received any orders in this regard.

“If I am replaced now after this letter, it will show where it comes from,” he said, adding not a single incident of corruption could be reported since the letter had been issued. “No official has so far contacted us.”

Javed said they had recently arranged four big conferences on the issue of corruption, but no official turned up.

He said Balkh was among the provinces, where complaints against administrative corruption were in abundance.

So far the anti-corruption office had prepared 244 dossiers detailing illegal activities committed by government officials, with 40 cases going to the Attorney’s Office.

He said prominent cases of corruption committed in Balk were about the Hairatan dry port, land-grabbing and absenteeism.

The governor’s spokesman, Munir Farhad, confirmed the letter, but stopped short of going into details, saying everything had been made clear in the letter.

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