Afghans Paid $1.6 Billion in Bribes in 2018
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Page 2 | NATIONAL A divided Taliban could unleash a new proxy war in Afghanistan Page 3 | ECONOMY What’s going on The COVID-19 pandemic is transforming international relations not Basic goods imported between Russia, U.S. just by straining relations among powerful states, but also ... to Afghanistan via and Afghanistan? Chabahar Page 2 | NATIONAL Kabul Herat Nangarhar Balkh 33 / 17 37 / 24 39 / 28 40 / 27 Your Gateway to Afghanistan & the Region Tuesday, June 30, 2020 Issue No. 799 www.heartofasia.af 10 afs Afghans Paid $1.6 Billion in Wolesi Jirga Bribes in 2018: Report approves Ministry of It has assessed the two general Martyrs and Disabled directorates of the Ministry of Finance: the customs department The Independent Disabled and Martyrs and the revenue department. Support Authority has been promoted to The report finds alleged interference the Ministry of Martyrs and Disabled in by government officials, MPs and compliance with a presidential decree, “warlords” in the activities of the the Wolesi Jirga told on Monday. two departments and says they have Mohammad Halim Ali Yar, deputy head provided conditions for corruption in of the Judicial Commission of Wolesi the two offices. Jirga, said the government issued According to a Kabul-based a legislative decree promoting the watchdog, almost $1 billion is wasted Department of Martyrs and Disabled in in the country’s customs annually. the Ministry of Work and Social Affairs to “At least $2 billion is taken as a an independent authority. bribe from the people and this Yar said two months later, the president encompasses big corruption in issued another presidential decree, procurement and does not include promoting the independent authority land-grabbing,” said Nasir Taimori, to the State Ministry for Martyrs and a researcher at Integrity Watch Disabled. Afghanistan. He said both decrees were discussed in Members of the Chamber of the Judicial Commission and majority Commerce and Investment said that of the members wanted to reject them a big amount of money is wasted However, later a joint meeting of both A report by the Independent Joint endemic in the country and they no Afs189.5 billion ($2.45 billion) in annually due to “corruption” and the houses was organized and it was Anti-Corruption Monitoring and longer trust government officials. 2018. “bribery” in customs. decided that this authority should ... P3 Evaluation Committee (MEC), which The report shows that the “According to the 2018 report of “One person is appointed to a focused on areas vulnerable to government’s income from taxpayers Integrity Watch Afghanistan, $1.65 management post after paying corruption, stated that Afghans paid was Afs86.5 billion ($1.12 billion) billion has been paid in bribes $500,000 or he is appointed by $1.65 billion in bribes in 2018, less in 2018 and Afs68.7 billion ($889 across Afghanistan, which does the mafia. It is obvious that he will than the $2.88 billion in 2016 but million) in 2019-- in both cases less not specifically relate to customs,” work for himself and embezzles higher than the government’s annual than the amount that Afghans paid said Maiwand Rouhani, head of the the national revenue,” said Zalmay revenue. as bribes in 2018. secretariat of the MEC. Azimi, deputy head of the Chamber The report finds that people still According to the report, the country’s The MEC report lists eight key of Commerce and Investment in Congress Unites to believe that corruption is highly national revenue in 2018 was around conditions that affect reforms. Nangarhar. Demand Answers Iran holds meeting Kremlin slams claims over Russia ‘bounties’ from Trump On with Taliban in Qatar Russian Bounties Senior leaders of the Taliban are to Taliban to kill Americans as elaborate hoax in Afghanistan currently stationed in Doha, Qatar, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov where Iran’s special envoy for Members of Congress in both parties has blasted reports that Russia Afghanistan Mohammad Ebrahim demanded answers on Monday about allegedly offered Afghan militants Taherian holds a meeting with them reported bounties paid by Russian bounties for killing US military on Sunday. operatives to Afghan insurgents for personnel as lies and an elaborate As reported the two sides have targeting American troops. hoax. According to him, the topic The stories appeared to have taken even conferred on the interference of was not discussed between the two the most senior lawmakers off guard, foreign forces in regional countries’ leaders. and they said they wanted briefings soon affairs as well as those of Afghanistan’s. “These claims are nothing but from the Defense Department and the Reducing violence, commencing lies,” the Kremlin spokesman said, intelligence community. Afghan-Afghan talks without the commenting on the publication of “I think it is absolutely essential that we interference of foreign forces, in The New York Times. “Once again, Trump who already evaluated these for Trump’s judgment a few months get the information and be able to judge particular of the US, and Tehran-Kabul we can only express regret that once publications,” he added. When asked ago, while the White House National its credibility,” said Rep. Mac Thornberry, joint interests have also been among largest, reputable and high-quality if Putin and Trump had had a phone Security Council discussed the topic R-Texas, the ranking member of the the discussed subjects in this meeting. world media outlets have been call to discuss these allegations, in late March. House Armed Services Committee. On June 24, Taherian held a ... P3 increasingly more often publishing Peskov said, “No.” In turn, Trump revealed that he had The story is unfolding along two parallel elaborate hoaxes in the last few On Friday, The New York Times not been briefed about any such tracks in Washington, based on two key years, which definitely does not claimed that an unidentified unit attacks in Afghanistan. On Sunday, questions: bode well with keeping up with their of the Russian military intelligence he took to Twitter to announce that First, what actually has taken place — reputation and prestige,” Peskov encouraged Taliban militants the US intelligence did not find this and have any American troops been stressed. to attack military personnel of information credible, slamming The killed as a result of Russian-sponsored “If intelligence services continue to the international coalition in New York Times report as “possibly targeted action? And second: Who knew be accountable before the president Afghanistan. The newspaper alleged another fabricated Russia Hoax, what about the reporting on these in the US, then I suggest you focus on that these conclusions of American maybe by the Fake News” meant to allegations that has flowed up from ... P3 the relevant statement of President intelligence services were presented tarnish the Republicans’ reputation. June 30, 2020 Heart of Asia NATIONAL TUESDAY 2 [email protected] fb/heart of asia twitter/@heartofasiapost 6 months on,... By Jonathan Marcus how to save lives now. These include empowering communities to understand that they are not helpless What’s going on between and that there are things everyone should do to protect themselves and others. “That includes physical Russia, U.S. and Afghanistan? distancing, hand hygiene, For a start, we have a triple denial from all of the covering coughs, staying main parties involved. The Russian government has home if you feel sick, wearing dismissed the story out of hand. So too have the masks when appropriate, and Taliban. only sharing information from And U.S. President Donald Trump has vehemently reliable sources,” said Tedros. denied any knowledge of the matter - with White Tedros said that unless House sources telling the U.S. press that the subject countries address the never reached as high as the president or vice- problems the organization president because there was no consensus in the has already identified, he said intelligence community about the veracity of the reports. a “lack of national unity and However, serious U.S. news outlets are carrying lack of global solidarity” in a a range of reports quoting a variety of sources, “divided world” is “actually suggesting that an intelligence assessment that helping the virus to spread.” Russian agents were offering bounties to the Taliban Respect needed for the killing of U.S. or coalition troops had been Dr. Mike Ryan, the WHO’s around since March; that significant amounts of executive director of cash had been seized in U.S. raids; and that some emergencies, said that the US personnel may indeed have been killed as a result. These sources also indicate that the intelligence organization wants to have But Russia is also waging a “grey” or undeclared in the Middle East and elsewhere; but on the other, assessment was indeed briefed at the highest levels, “international discourse war against the West. This has many elements: this administration is strangely accepting of Russian including mention at the president’s own daily that’s based on mutual cyber-attacks; disinformation campaigns; electoral denials, for example concerning its alleged intrusion intelligence briefing. respect.” interference; the funding of extremists in Western into the U.S. election campaign. Mr Trump’s critics - not least the Democratic He said: “We encourage all countries and so on. Much of this ambiguity is down to the person of presidential contender Joe Biden - have seized upon At times, this has even resulted in direct action: President Trump himself, whom many see as rather people at all levels and in all these reports to highlight once again their view that for example the use of nerve agent in the bungled admiring of strong, dictatorial leaders. countries to use language Mr Trump is not up to defending U.S. interests. assassination attempt on a former Russian And to this extent, the handling of this intelligence that is appropriately But perhaps more interestingly, even some key intelligence officer in the British cathedral town of report casts another light on the whole foreign policy respectful, and there’s Republicans are raising questions - Representative Salisbury, and a full-scale assault by Russian military process within the Trump administration.