Billions of dollars not lost in corruption, refutes Kabul
16 February, 2013
KABUL: Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) said Billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars are being wasted in Afghanistan on fruitless reconstruction projects that are awash in corruption and have little government oversight. "The impending end of the combat mission in Afghanistan has led some to erroneously believe that the Afghan reconstruction effort is waning," said John Sopko, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR. "The Afghan government does not appear to have the capacity to manage the amount of funding envisioned in the international community's pledges of direct assistance," Sopko told a House Committee in testimony prepared for a House of Representatives hearing. He said oversight provisions, such as doling out funds incrementally instead of in large lump sums, should be built into direct aid programmes "to protect the American taxpayer." Sopko said Sigar would be monitoring the use of US aid, including whether programmes made clear contributions to US interests, and whether Afghans needed or even wanted them. As the U.S. begins to withdraw 34,000 troops from Afghanistan it continues to pump billion of dollars in direct assistance to the government, which is free to spend the money in any way it sees fit. The lack of oversight has potentially allowed the Afghan government to spend millions of U.S. dollars purchasing Iranian oil. Such expenditures would constitute a violation of economic sanctions, according to lead inspector John Sopko, who told Congress Wednesday that the Obama administration has failed to account for how funds are spent. The administration plans to increase spending in Afghanistan in the coming years as it reduces troop levels despite these concerns, a move that has sparked numerous concerns about security. Meanwhile, Afghan government officials confirm corruption in governmental departments however the officials insist that the institutions have the capabilities to spend international aid properly and in a transparent way. Afghan finance ministry denied remarks by Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) and said the government of Afghanistan is able to properly use the international aid. A spokesman for the Afghan finance ministry Wahidullah Tawhidi said the government's transparency and effectiveness in spending the foreign aid has been more than the other organiztions who are spending the foreign aid in the country. He said, "We deny the report since various reports by World Bank and other international organizations shows that around 85% of the aid spent by the Afghan government has been appropriate and transparent while the foreign aid spent independently and by non-governmental organizations had only 15% effectiveness and in some cases corruption has been noted in those institutions activities." Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) said Billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars are being wasted in Afghanistan on fruitless reconstruction projects that are awash in corruption and have little government oversight. "The Afghan government does not appear to have the capacity to manage the amount of funding envisioned in the international community's pledges of direct assistance," Sopko told a House Committee in testimony prepared for a House of Representatives hearing. In the meantime Mohammad Yasin Osmani member of the committee for oversight and anti-corruption department of Afghanistan said John Sopko's remarks are acceptable somehow however he said that he does not agree with all his comments. He said that the capacity of the Afghan government to spend foreign aid has increased but still there some issues within the Afghan government that needs to be resolved. This comes as Afghanistan and United States during president Hamid Karzai's visit agreed to spend 50% of the foreign aid through the Afghan government. End.
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