Afghan President Karzai Fires Top Prosecutor To Halt Corruption Investigations

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has been widely denounced for rampant corruption, including reportedly huge amounts of money funneled to his family and particularly his powerful brothers. Now, he has dispensed with any semblance of neutrality (and honesty) and has fired his most senior prosecutor Fazel Ahmed Faqiryar for his insistence on investigating corruption. The United States is in a poor position to criticize. Not only have we long turned a blind eye to billions stolen in corruption but it was recently revealed that the CIA is bribing various members of Karzai’s government.

Faqiryar claimed that Karzai had “obstructed investigations and prosecutions of 25 or more senior officials — including cabinet ministers, ambassadors and provincial governors.”

Recently, Karzai intervened to order the release of senior aide Mohammad Zia Salehi after he was arrested for soliciting a bribe to impede an American-backed investigation of a money-laundering company called New Ansari.

In the meantime, similar findings of rampant corruption and waste have been found in Iraq.

The only country that could force such reform is the United States, but we are now viewed as so hopelessly hypocritical on the issue that protestations would only produce international laughter. Thus, we continue to pour billions into the country because we need Karzai to claim the country is stable and a symbol of the success of democratic rule. It is enough to make John Gotti blush.

Source: Examiner