KABUL (SW): Transparency Afghanistan and Integrity Watch Afghanistan said in a news conference today in Kabul, that Afghanistan is ranked fourth in the list of the world’s most corrupt countries falling 4 ranking down in comparison to previous year.
The National Unity Government’s lack of political will and lack of practical steps to fight corruption as well as lack of attention to recommendations of civil society organizations are said to be the reasons for the decline of Afghanistan in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), according to these two organizations.
Afghanistan ranked 8th on the list of the most corrupt countries in the previous year, however, the Transparency Afghanistan and Integrity Watch Afghanistan said that the decline of Afghanistan on the 4th place according to the Transparency International’s CPI, indicates the NUG’s inability to fight corruption in Afghanistan.
“The situation with regard to combating corruption in the country is not good and corruption is increasing”, Sayed Akram Afzali, the CEO of Integrity Watch Afghanistan said in the news conference.
According to Afzali, institutions that have been created in the name of combating corruption have only received money and have not had effective anti-corruption measures and policies so far.
The entities established under the aegis of the NUG, such as the Commission for the Control of Access to Information and the Center for the Eradication of Corruption, have never received financial and technical support which clearly underscored the government’s inefficiency, Sayed Akram Afzali said.
Einodin Bahadori, a member of the leadership of the Integrity Watch Afghanistan also said that the NUG failed to fight corruption because the Presidential Palace has been interfering in the work of the security agencies, the prosecuting authorities and other institutions alike.
Nasir Taimur, another member of the Integrity Watch Afghanistan said some members of House of Representatives have also been interfering in the appointments and transfers of senior government officials which have reasoned for more corruption.
Shah Hussain Mortazawi, the spokesperson for the President at a meeting in Kabul said that corruption exists in some institutions; however, he informed that the government has finalized the national anti-corruption strategy and is committed to fighting corruption seriously.
Integrity Watch Afghanistan recommended that an Independent Commission on Anti-Corruption and the Commission on Access to Information should be formed in order to fight the corruption seriously. Similarly, the recommendation included that the current law on access to information should be adjusted and new rules and laws should be passed to eliminate corruption from government institutions.
ENDS
