Over $5 million stolen from Afghan finance ministry

Officials in the ministry of finance of Afghanistan have said around 328.5 million AFS ($5.7 million) have been stolen from the bank accounts of the ministry.

A spokesman for the finance ministry of Afghanistan, Abdul Qadir Jilani said two finance ministry employees have been arrested in this regard and have been introduced to attorney general office for further investigation.

Mr. Jilani further added that the finance ministry is suspicious that the two employees were involved behind the robbery.

According to reports, the around 61 million of the stolen cash were withdrawn using 38 forged cheques by an employee of the finance ministry.

This comes as a female employee of a private bank – Azizi Bank transferred USD 1.1mn to relative’s bank account outside Afghanistan and managed to flee the country.

The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) released an online wanted post of Shokofa Salehi, however there are still nor reports regarding her whereabouts.

The alleged theft by the Azizi Bank and ministry of finance employees highlights the deep corruption in Afghanistan’s banking sector and government institutions, which already saw one leading institution unravel after revelations of massive fraud.

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