KABUL - Former president Hamid Karzai office on Monday rejected it received 400 million afghanis each year from the Presidential Palace but confirmed receiving 12 million afs for the period.
It comes after the ex-president Karzai declined membership of the High National Reconciliation Council (HNRC) on Sunday.
Arif Samim, an advisor to President Ghani, wrote on his Twitter account that the Afghan government paid 400 million afs to Karzai for his office expense per year.
He added Karzai lived in a government’s safest house and the government paid his travel, office and staff expenses and his security was similar to that of President Ghani.
Samin said as the former president now did not want to work within the government framework, so his privileges must also not be paid.
But Mohammad Yousuf Saha, an official at the Karzai office, rejected Samim’s claims as baseless and untrue.
He said the former president has a special status under the law and expenses and salaries of his staff were paid by the Presidential Administrative Office.
A spokesman for Karzai’s office said Arif Samim should be asked to provide documents in support of his claims.
Pajhwok tried to have comment of PAO’s head Khushal Khalil but he said they would provide information in this regard based on the access to information form, which was not available on the Access to Information website due a technical issue.
Pajhwok also attempted to seek comment of Arif Samim but he could not be contacted. (Pajhwok)