Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Thursday, March 28th, 2024

Wolesi Jirga Official Suspended on Graft Charges

Wolesi Jirga Official Suspended on Graft Charges

KABUL - Wolesi Jirga Secretariat Director Khudai Nazar Nasrat was suspended and referred to the Attorney General Office (AGO) on charges of corruption and illegal appointments on Saturday, lawmaker who headed the investigative commission of the house in his case has announced.
The commission, having members from the five permanent panels of the lower house, had been tasked to probe allegations of corruption and illegal appointments against the director and present its findings to the house in three days.
On July 22, First Deputy Speaker Humayun Humayun accused the secretariat director of the lower house of embezzlement and illegal employment of individuals. However, Nazar rejected the allegations.
A report recently released by Tolo News channel also accused the Wolesi Jirga Speaker Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi and the secretary of embezzlements in some contracts.
The report said 50 million afghanis had been paid from the government exchequer in rent for the speaker’s house and office outside the parliament. The director was also charged with recruiting a number of his blue-eyed boys to the Wolesi Jirga secretariat.
In Saturday session, Erfanullah Erfan, head of the investigative commission, announced the suspension of the director, return of 5.3 million afghanis by the speaker to the bank account of the lower house and a 10-17 days ban on the first and second deputy speakers from attending house sessions.
Erfan said the Wolesi Jirga speaker should return 5.3 million that he had spent on personal expenses. Deputy Speakers Humayun and Obaidullah Barakzai would be banned from the house for 10 days and Lalai Hameedzai for 17 days.
Humayun and Hameedzai were banned for entering the Wolesi Jirga Television facility without permission and assailing lawmakers Gul Pacha Majeedi and Barakzai.
Speaker Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi, accepting the commission’s decision, promised to return 5.3 million which, according to him, had been spent on the security of his home and office outside the Wolesi Jirga.
Humayun and Hameedzai also accepted the decision and left the session.  But Secretariat Director Nasrat rejected the verdict and accused legislator Hafeez Mansour of receiving $10,000 in bribe.
Mansour, however, did not share his view on the allegation against him. (Pajhwok)