Afghan authorities have issued an arrest warrant for a former minister accused of corruption and are seeking his extradition from Britain following reports of his detention, a prosecutor said. Mohammad Siddiq Chakari, a former minister for Haj and religious affairs, is accused of taking bribes from a foreign catering company during last year's Muslim pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan's deputy attorney general Fazil Ahmad Faqiryar told AFP.
If confirmed, it would be the highest profile arrest in Afghanistan's efforts to fight graft, with the attorney general's office saying to 17 ministers are under investigation for alleged involvement in corruption. The warrant against Chakari was issued after he defied an order not to leave the country without permission, Faqiryar said.
"After he left Kabul for Britain, we ordered the police, the interior ministry to arrest him through Interpol," Faqiryar said. "We heard this morning (from local media reports) that he has been arrested but we have not yet been officially informed about his arrest," he added. Afghan media said Chakari had been detained near London. Faqiryar said Chakari had been charged with taking bribes and the Afghan government was seeking his extradition from Britain so he could face the charges in an Afghan court.
Comments
Comments are closed.