KABUL (Pajhwok): The Wolesi Jirga Special Anti-Corruption Commission has introduced two lawmakers to the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) over failure to register their assets. A member of the commission, who wished anonymity, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the assets record wing of the lower house had referred NasimaNiazai, a lawmaker from Helmand province and Ahmad Shah Ramazan from Balkh province, to the AGO for failing to unveil their assets.
The source added the mentioned lawmakers had not recorded their wealth with the wing. But MasoomAminzada, the lower house secretariat chief, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the Anti-Corruption Commission had not informed him regarding the matter.
MP NasimaNiazai said the Administrative Office of the Presidential Palace had told her about problems in her assets records form. She added she failed to record her personal home and a 12-year-old account in the Kabul Bank. Nasima said she had verbally addressed the issue and there was no other mistake in the form. She added she was not involved in corruption and ready to answer any questions.
Despite multiple attempts, Ahmad Shah Ramazan could not be reached for comment in this regard. Meanwhile, Afghan Second Vice President Mohammad Sarwar Danish on Wednesday said that the case of Nizamuddin Qaisari, the former police chief of Qaisar district in Faryab province, has been sent to the Attorney General of Afghanistan, but the Attorney General’s Office denies this.
Sources meanwhile have said that there are cases of rights violations against Qaisari at the National Directorate of Security (NDS). NDS has not commented on this. Qaisari, who served as Qaisar’s local police commander in the northern province of Faryab, was once arrested along with 20 of his men by the Afghan Army’s 209 Shaheen Corps in November 2018. He is charged with “violating human rights.”
Government forces in an operation targeting his residence in Mazar-e-Sharif city in Balkh province in December 2019 failed to arrest him, and since then he has not appeared in public in other provinces except for Jawzjan. An arrest order, according to Balkh police, was issued by a court in Balkh. He is 52-years-old and was born in Qaisar district in Faryab. First, he was a farmer and businessman but then became the commander of local police in 2011.
“All cases are lying within the Office of the Attorney General of Afghanistan, the Attorney General of Afghanistan takes its decisions independently. According to our information, no case has been left in the Office of the Attorney General’s of Afghanistan at the direction of any govt official,” said Danish in an interview with TOLOnews. “Criminal cases are being politicized in Afghanistan,” said Arash Shahrivar, a legal expert.
“Recently, the Afghan government, by appointing some high level government officials, engaged in nepotism and politically-motivated acts. I hope that this time, the legal and judicial institutions investigate the cases of these individuals,” said Sayed Hassan Paktiawal, a member of parliament.
“Those who have committed crimes–whose actions are documented–are brought to justice,” said Kiramuddin Rezazada, a member of parliament. Qaisari’s arrest in 2018 was followed by widespread 20-day protests by thousands of his supporters in different northern provinces. He was freed after six months in custody.
