MONITORING (SW) – Tens of millions of dollars disappeared from Afghan government bank accounts during the Taliban takeover in August, according to a U.S. government watchdog report.
After the Taliban’s sudden military takeover of Afghanistan, media reports emerged alleging Ghani stole over $150 million in government funds when he fled, feeding public anger with the former leader for leaving Afghanistan. Ghani’s departure is seen by many as the decisive event that allowed Taliban forces to walk into Kabul and take complete control of the country, reported the Washington Pos.
SIGAR found the theft of millions by Ghani “unlikely,” but said the former president did leave with some cash, however, “evidence indicates that this number did not exceed $1 million and may have been closer in value to $500,000.”
The report quotes one former senior official who fled with Ghani on the helicopters stating, “everyone had $5,000 to $10,000 in their pockets … No one had millions.” The official was not named in the public version of the assessment. Ghani has also repeatedly denied the allegations of theft.
But tens of millions remain unaccounted for. SIGAR found evidence of “$5 million taken from the presidential palace and tens of millions taken from the vault at the National Directorate of Security,” the former Afghan government’s main intelligence agency. Although the investigation has not determined if the money was removed from the country by government officials.
The former Afghan president and many of his close aides now live in the United Arab Emirates, whose government welcomed him and his family on humanitarian grounds.
The report stated its investigation into stolen Afghan assets are ongoing.
ENDS
