Afghan attorney general vows to purge corrupt officials

Apr 18, 2008, 8:16 GMT

Kabul - Afghan Attorney General Abdul Jabbar Sabit vowed on Friday to fight against high-ranking corrupt officials within the government this year.

Addressing a two-day seminar titled Rule of law and fight against corruption, the attorney general said, 'we will begin from attorney general offices all over the country to clean corrupt officials.'

Almost all provincial attorney officials gathered in the Afghan capital Kabul to discuss challenges related to anti-corruption campaign and find solutions to those problems.

Sabit said this year the focus would be on high-ranking corrupt officials in the government, adding, 'We will launch a more effective campaign against those 'powerful elements' that we couldn't grab last year.'

Some officials working under his command in provincial attorney offices were arrested on charges of corruption and embezzlement last year, Sabit said.

The Afghan attorney general has visited a number of provinces and issued arrest orders for hundreds officials allegedly involved in corruption, embezzlement and betrayal cases.

The anti-corruption campaign has been largely welcomed by the public but time and again the attorney general has admitted that he is not able to arrest high-ranking officials involved in corruption.

Bribery and corruption have become serious issues in many governmental institutions and many in Afghanistan believe that corruption is the biggest challenge for President Hamid Karzia's government.