Two general directors along with ten employees of the Ministry of Urban Development and Land were arrested on charges of embezzlement and abuse of authority, said Tariq Arian, spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior (MoI).
According to the MoI Spokesperson, they were arrested in an operation conducted by the MoI’s anti-crime police forces earlier in today’s morning, Saturday, February 20. He detailed that the two senior officials were working as General Director of Finance and Administrative Affairs and General Director of Procurement at the Ministry of Urban Development and Land.
He added that the police’s findings suggest the arrested officials and employees have embezzled millions of afghanis from the Ministry’s contracts.
The MoI Spokesperson, however, did not provide a specific figure on the embezzled money by the government officials and employees.
A tangible increase is seen in anti-corruption efforts by the government as dozens of gov’t employees, including some senior officials, have been arrested in recent months.
On Tuesday, February 16, five people were caught red-handed while taking bribes in Kabul Customs Department.
Two days earlier, eight officials of Nangarhar Customs Department, including its head, had been arrested on charges of corruption.
