New Delhi, Jan 18 (IANS): Six months after the collapse of the Afghan government led by the former President Ashraf Ghani, an ex-female minister of his time unveiled several cases of ‘sexual assault and ‘corruption in the Presidential palace, Khaama Press reported.
Nargis Nehan, a former female Afghan cabinet member, claimed she noticed several cases of corruption and sexual assault while working for the government of Afghanistan since 2008.
Nehan, former Afghan Minister of Mines and Petroleum who was speaking in a Twitter space on Sunday, said she has noticed multiple cases of corruption and sexual assault at the very top levels within the Afghan cabinet members and the Presidential Palace, the report said.
According to Nehan, Ashraf Ghani was aware of what was happening around him.
Nehan named Shaad Mohammad Sargand, Humayoun Qayomi, Mohammad Hanif Atmar and Elham Omar Hotaki as the corrupt officials she knew about.
"Shaad Mohammad Sargand, an advisor to Ghani who was very close to the President, also used to be his class fellow in the past. He was forcing a young Shia girl to enter into a concubine's marriage with him," Nehan said.
Shaad Mohammad Sargand had falsely reported to Ghani about the girl blaming him for being Iran's secret agent in the Afghanistan government after she had refused his proposal, Nehan added.
"After her dismissal proposal was signed by the President, the girl came to my office seeking help as she needed the job and also didn't want to be sacked with bad employment history," Nehan said, as per the report.
"I reported the case to the First Lady with the help of whom we could stop the girl's dismissal and transferred her to another department in order to keep her away from the eyes of Shaad Mohamamd Sargand," Nehan said.
Nehan spoke about another scenario when she along with 45 other high ranking female government officials, including cabinet members and deputy ministers, had gone to see Ghani about the ‘sexual assaults' in the Presidential palace, but Ghani had ignored to investigate the matter or take any action after he heard from the group, Khaama Press reported.
Nehan also revealed about the corruption cases by the National Procurement Authority, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Education and the senior advisor to President, Humayoon Qayoumi.
She claimed that the international community, including the World Bank and different UN agencies in Afghanistan, were deeply involved in corruption.
This comes as Fazl Mahmood Fazly, the head of the Administrative Office of the President (AOP), despite being widely accused of hiring girls for sexual pleasure in the government, was never investigated, the report said.