Tuesday March 28, 2017
Kabul (BNA) European Union (EU) to Afghanistan in a statement says corruption has increased in government institutions in particular judicial organs.
The statement added that impunity culture in Afghanistan was common and such increasing of corruption in judicial organs of the country would trigger that people in remote areas would refer to armed insurgents instead of government for solution of their judicial cases.
The European Union to Afghanistan says people in most parts of the country are complaining of injustice and increasing corruption. A spokesperson to the EU to Afghanistan Abdullah Yadgari stressed that government should make serious effort for prevention of corruption in government institutions in particular judicial organs, adding that people in provinces considered judicial sector as centers of bribery and corruption. “Corruption in judicial sector of the government has caused that people in remote areas prefer to solve their issues by armed insurgents, or armed groups and warlords make use of opportunity and impose their decisions on local people.
Therefore, we say that government institutions in particular judicial organs should be cleaned of corruption so that government’s sovereignty will be maintained in remote areas”, EU spokesperson added. He asked Afghanistan government to intensify its efforts towards counter corruption in remote areas of the country to tighten its sovereignty. In the statement, EU ambassador to Afghanistan Mellbin stated, “The government should take lead when it comes to breaking down the culture of corruption. The key is to end impunity – we have seen the first prosecutions and I hope more is to come soon. By starting form the top the Afghanistan government can send a strong signal to all Afghans that the time of corruption in Afghanistan is over.”
The statement also asserted that EU to Afghanistan has put again corruption in the judiciary on agenda of its annual anti-corruption campaign and would focus on it from 26 March – 2 April. Similar reports have also been released in this regard as Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) has recently concerned that people in some parts of the country preferred to go armed insurgents’ courts due to increasing corruption in government judiciary organs. Some reports have even said that people in a number of districts were complaining of lack of government judicial centers. The EU statement and other similar reports in connection with increasing corruption in the country have come at a time when President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has lately said that strengthening of judiciary system was a need for maintaining stability, peace and security and economic development.
On the other hand, ministry of justice says various committees have been created for prevention of corruption, which have positive results. A spokesperson to ministry of justice Aman Riazat by not rejecting the EU statement said that such cases were common in remote and insecure areas of the country. “There might be some cases in remote areas where law is not enforced and security is not maintained, but cases relevant to corruption should be reported so that they are prevented”, Riazat said, adding that in cooperation with special anti-corruption authority 300 cases relevant to corruption have been addressed, which was a positive achievement. Meanwhile, last year Human Rights Watch based on New York in a statement considered impunity culture as violence against human rights and common issue in Afghanistan and had asked President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani for ending such impunity in the country.
Shukria Kohistani
