KABUL - Nearly 110 employees of the Kabul Municipality have been barred from leaving the country pending corruption charges, the Attorney General Office (AGO) said Monday.
AGO spokesman Basir Azizi said all cases against former and incumbent government officials will be investigated thoroughly at the anti-corruption judicial center.
"Cases involving 110 officials from the Kabul Municipality will be investigated thoroughly and the outcomes will be made known later," Azizi said.
"We are trying to start the work of the center as soon as possible. The process of hiring staff for the center continues," he added.
The head of High Office of Oversight and Anti-Corruption (HOOAC), Sayed Ghulam Hussain Fakhri, said there would be no hope in the fight against state corruption for as long as the anti-corruption judicial center failed to start its work.
"The center should be independent and no one should be able to interfere in its activities. The center should investigate important corruption cases in a transparent manner," he added.
Sayed Akram Afzali, head of Integrity Watch Afghanistan, said incumbent government officials who are charged with corruption should face judicial process by the center.
"We expected the center to start its activities as soon as possible. We also expected that the best officials be appointed to the center," Afzali added.
Combatting endemic corruption in public offices is one of the main demands from the people of government.(Tolonews)