Karzai issues decree to fight corruption

Published on 28/07/2012 00:00

Afghan president Hamid Karzai has issued an ambitious list of government reforms that orders his ministries, prosecutors and judiciary to fight bribery and cronyism.

The 23-page decree also instructs officials to clear the attorney general’s office and courts of corruption-related cases and do more than talk about bringing crooked figures to justice.

Donor nations have long expressed concern about corruption within the Afghan government and pledged aid this month at a Tokyo conference that is tied to a new monitoring process to assure that money is not diverted by corrupt officials or mismanaged. Karzai has blamed international contracting procedures for some of the problem.

Karzai repeated his request that high-ranking government officials or their relatives do not get rebuilding contracts.