KABUL (SW): Based on Salam Watandar’s findings, Mohammad Zarif Arghand, Head of Afghan Cart Company, embezzled afn 96 million from government in four different contracts over the past four years.
The company is a corporation, which deals with the exports and imports business.
More than 93 percent of the company’s shares are owned by the government and the rest 7 percent belong to a private company.
Arghand alongside Muzamil Shinwari, Deputy Minister for Trade at the Ministry of Trade and Industries, Mutasel Komaki, former Deputy at the Ministry of Trade and Industries, Ghulam Mustafa Harooni, Head of Labor Law at the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, Martyrs and Disabled, and Wahidi, Head of Audit at the Department of Counter-Corruption, have not only embezzled government’s assets but in cooperation with these high-ranking officials have sacked anyone who stood against him.
This group has managed to hide the amount of their embezzlements through high-ranking contacts in well placed areas.
It was back in 2011 when Mohammad Zarif Arghand’s embezzlement was revealed for the first time by the south zone attorney office, which was followed by a complex bureaucratic process between south zone attorney office and attorney department for counter-corruption.
Both offices tried to conceal the corruption in Afghan Cart Company despite the Attorney General Office twice directing to consider the case but to no avail.
Department for High Audit, has pointed out to six cases of financial corruption, which suggested that afn 96 million were embezzled.
The department called it against the law of procurement and other prevailing laws and asked the Ministry of Trade and Industries as well as attorney office for counter-corruption as a result which the issue once again remained unsolved.
Arghand however, rejected the allegations made against him at the Department of High Audit through a letter he has sent to Salam Watandar.
A while ago, the Audit Department at the Ministry of Trade and Industries, found out about the corruption at the Afghan Cart Company and decided to investigate it but Mutasel Komaki, the then Deputy for Ministry of Trade and Industries, did not allow the department to carry out an investigation, which allowed Arghand to get away with the corruption.
To have a free hand in the Afghan Cart Company, Arghand either sacked or demoted 10 staffers of the company under different pretexts. Among them included the deputy of the Afghan Cart Company, Faiz Mohammad Sadozai.
Although it is only the authority of the President to demote but Mohammad Zarif Arghand in cooperation with his subordinates, demoted Faiz Mohammad Sadozai from post 1 down to post 6 and assigned him in Balkh province and finally sacking him from the company.
5 staffers of the company, who went through similar fate as Faiz Mohammad, complained about him to the President’s office in 2014 and asked to reconsider their demotion and sacking.
Asadullah Wafa, Senior Advisor to the President in social affairs, urged Ministry of Trade and Industries to introduce Mohammad Zarif Arghand to the judicial bodies by accusing him of disobedience to the President’s 8th decree but Muzamil Shinwari, by sending a formal letter to the President’s senior advisor, justified Arghand and defended him.
Looking at 100 different documents, it is noticeable that this group enjoyed more authority even than the President and whatever they wanted, they did.
These documents not only show embezzlement at the Afghan Cart Company but also indicate how this group counterfeit documents since they had close working relations with each other and did not fall short to support each other.
ENDS
