{"id":10432,"date":"2022-06-07T06:57:13","date_gmt":"2022-06-07T06:57:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/?p=10432"},"modified":"2022-10-15T14:17:32","modified_gmt":"2022-10-15T14:17:32","slug":"sigar-rejects-allegations-of-ghani-taking-away-millions-of-dollars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/2022\/06\/sigar-rejects-allegations-of-ghani-taking-away-millions-of-dollars\/","title":{"rendered":"SIGAR rejects allegations of Ghani taking away millions of dollars"},"content":{"rendered":"

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<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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The assessment\u00a0by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR, examined allegations that Afghan government officials took tens of millions of dollars with them as they fled the country. Former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani was specifically accused of loading millions of dollars onto the helicopters that he and his close aides used to flee Kabul as Taliban fighters entered the city.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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After the Taliban\u2019s sudden military takeover of Afghanistan,\u00a0media reports\u00a0emerged alleging Ghani stole over $150 million in government funds when he fled, feeding public anger with the former leader for leaving Afghanistan. Ghani\u2019s departure is seen by many as the\u00a0decisive event that allowed Taliban forces to walk into Kabul and take complete control of the country, reported the Washington Pos.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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SIGAR found the theft of millions by Ghani \u201cunlikely,\u201d but said the former president did leave with some cash, however, \u201cevidence indicates that this number did not exceed $1 million and may have been closer in value to $500,000.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The report quotes one former senior official who fled with Ghani on the helicopters stating, \u201ceveryone had $5,000 to $10,000 in their pockets \u2026 No one had millions.\u201d The official was not named in the public version of the assessment. Ghani has also repeatedly denied the allegations of theft.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But tens of millions remain unaccounted for. SIGAR found evidence of \u201c$5 million taken from the presidential palace and tens of millions taken from the vault at the National Directorate of Security,\u201d the former Afghan government\u2019s main intelligence agency. Although the investigation has not determined if the money was removed from the country by government officials.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The report stated its investigation into stolen Afghan assets are ongoing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

ENDS<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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