Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Friday, March 29th, 2024

MPs Gave Graft-Tainted Ministers Trust Vote: Lodin

MPs Gave Graft-Tainted  Ministers Trust Vote: Lodin

KABUL - High Office of Oversight and Anti-corruption (HOOAC) Chairman Azizullah Lodin on Tuesday claimed the Wolesi Jirga had granted vote of confidence to some ministers accused of massive corruption -- an allegation rejected by the legislature.
He levelled the allegation during a speech to the Meshrano Jirga after a lawmaker from southern Zabul province, Dr. Zalmai Zabuli, asked him to name the graft-tainted officials.
Zabuli said the HOOAC had sent them a letter, saying that one minister had embezzled nearly 70 million afghanis, but the Cabinet member was not named.

"This question has also been asked by the Wolesi Jirga. I gave the lower house in writing the names of the corrupt people. Despite that, the MPs granted some of those men a vote of confidence," Lodin said in response to Zabuli's question.

He asked when the Wolesi Jirga did not take action against the corrupt ministers, what the upper house could do against them.
But Wolesi Jirga's deputy Secretary Mohammad Farhad Azimi rejected Lodin's remarks that he had submitted the names of the corrupt cabinet nominees to the house. "If Lodin has any evidence against a minister, then why is he reluctant to share it with the departments concerned?" Azimi asked.

He said the lower house had granted the trust vote to ministers-designate after thoroughly investigating their record with relevant departments.
Senator Mohiuddin Munsif criticised Lodin for not releasing the names of the ministers to the media, saying that if he had exposed them, the house would have denied them a vote of trust. But Lodin said under the law, he could not name a person until he/she was convicted by a court in a particular case.

Senate Chairman Fazl Hadi Muslimyar said all Afghans had equal rights in the Constitution. "When a common man is accused of some wrongdoing, he is shown on TV, but names of corrupt officials are kept secret. Is it justice? he asked.

On the other hand, the HOOAC head explained if he named a person ahead of being convicted by court, he would become a party to the case.
Two months ago, he informed the Wolesi Jirga's Justice Commission he had reports that about 3.6 billion Afghanis had not been accounted for at Hairatan port in northern Balkh province over the past two years. He also claimed 839 million Afghanis had been missing at the Torkham customs office.

Lodin once again said he had concrete evidence in support of his claims, and a delegation involving officials from his office and four other organizations had been tasked with investigations into the missing money.
But his claims were rejected as baseless by the deputy director of customs at the Ministry of Finance, Syed Mobin Shah Pacha, who said they had also sent a team to the ports to probe the issue. The delegation's findings showed Lodin's allegations were baseless, he said. (Pajhwok)