Saleh accuses Afghan MPs of involvement in corruption

Geneva

Addressing an side event on anti-corruption efforts at the Geneva conference, First Vice President of Afghanistan Amrullah Saleh accused some "certain" Afghan lawmakers of involvement in big corruption cases and said so far such none of them have been investigated.

"Corruption by certain members of the parliament is big. Very big," Saleh said. "To this date, unfortunately, Afghanistan hasn't been able to bring any member of the parliament to justice."

Saleh said, "this is a forgotten corner," and that "to this date, ministers, generals, directors and even politicians of high stature have been charged but no member of the parliament has paid any price for their involvement in corruption."

Saleh meanwhile said that he does not see a political consensus for fighting corruption in government offices, TOLO news reported.

"There is need for political consensus - We don't have it. Each time we want to act decisively, we are warned by the international community to opt for political accommodation than cleansing corruption," Saleh said. "Some of the most corrupt are imposed on us in the name of political accommodation. Some of the known drug dealers were released in the name of peacemaking."

Saleh said that there is a need for a strong will at the Government leadership level and that "we have it".

He added that there is a need for laws and legal frameworks and that the government has it. He said the government is working on the implementation of further improvement in this regard.

Meanwhile, NATO Civilian Representative to Afghanistan Stefano Pontecorvo stressed the need for anti-corruption efforts in Afghanistan.

"Corruption in Afghanistan must be stamped out. The needs of the Afghan people must be put first. NATO's training mission and Afghan National Army Trust Fund are helping to fight corruption and build strong security institutions," he said.