Political commentators have called attention to the fact that the national unity government's nominee for the top post at the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock is on Interpol's most wanted list, pushing it as proof that the cabinet nomination process was not guided by meritocracy.
The announcement of cabinet nominations took nearly four months and the delay was consistently justified by President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah as being the result of their search for the most qualified individuals. Yet Muhammad Yaqoob Haidari, their nominee for the agricultural ministry, has been on Interpol's most wanted list of international criminals since 2003. He is wanted for tax evasion and fraud in Estonia
Mr. Haidari has acknowledged that around 50,000 USD in taxes may not have been paid to the government of Estonia for one of the many companies he owns in the country. But he maintains that corrupt officials from Estonia have prevented him from entering the country so they can steal millions of dollars from him.
"They could have sent the documents to Afghanistan and followed up my case here - I am here now," he said. "The main reason is that they don't have proof against me and the documents that I have show that the small European countries that have recently come to power are not very welcoming to us residents of third world countries," he added.
Ironically, Haidari was recommended for the cabinet position by Ahmad Zia Masood, the Special Envoy to President Ghani for Reform and Good Governance. In response to the concerns raised around Haidari's supposed criminal past, Masood has maintained the government is unaware of any such history and that if it is indeed true then Haidari's nomination would be reconsidered.
"We are not aware of anyone's past, and what they have done," Masood said. "But we believe that if anyone had issues, whether tax issues or any other problem, their introduction to the parliament will be reconsidered."
Meanwhile, analysts have expressed disbelief at the national unity government's self-proclaimed ignorance to Haidari's standing with Interpol. They have questioned how the government could possibly have moved forward with a nomination after months of deliberation completely ignorant of an individual's international criminal record when a simple background check or even search on the Internet would have revealed it.
"As the media has said, Mr. Haidari is accused and is under Interpol investigation, so I am amazed that the president, with all the intelligence that he has, was not able to find out whether this guy was accused or not," political analyst Ahmad Saeedi said. "Or maybe the president did not want to consider the option."
Abdul Wahed Mokhles, a political analyst from Herat, said that if people like Haidari make there way into the cabinet then the promise of the new government is bleak. "While the government argues transparency on the one hand and selects someone like Haidari on the other hand, the continuation of these activities shows a dark future for Afghanistan," he told TOLOnews.
Residents of Kabul, who have been some of the most outspoken and critical about the government's delay in announcing the new cabinet, have responded similarly to news of Haidari. "When they have nominated someone who has a criminal background, how can they serve the people of Afghanistan," a Kabul resident named Zakia said.
Mr. Haidari has acknowledged that around 50,000 USD in taxes may not have been paid to the government of Estonia for one of the many companies he owns in the country. But he maintains that corrupt officials from Estonia have prevented him from entering the country so they can steal millions of dollars from him.
"They could have sent the documents to Afghanistan and followed up my case here - I am here now," he said. "The main reason is that they don't have proof against me and the documents that I have show that the small European countries that have recently come to power are not very welcoming to us residents of third world countries," he added.
Ironically, Haidari was recommended for the cabinet position by Ahmad Zia Masood, the Special Envoy to President Ghani for Reform and Good Governance. In response to the concerns raised around Haidari's supposed criminal past, Masood has maintained the government is unaware of any such history and that if it is indeed true then Haidari's nomination would be reconsidered.
"We are not aware of anyone's past, and what they have done," Masood said. "But we believe that if anyone had issues, whether tax issues or any other problem, their introduction to the parliament will be reconsidered."
Meanwhile, analysts have expressed disbelief at the national unity government's self-proclaimed ignorance to Haidari's standing with Interpol. They have questioned how the government could possibly have moved forward with a nomination after months of deliberation completely ignorant of an individual's international criminal record when a simple background check or even search on the Internet would have revealed it.
"As the media has said, Mr. Haidari is accused and is under Interpol investigation, so I am amazed that the president, with all the intelligence that he has, was not able to find out whether this guy was accused or not," political analyst Ahmad Saeedi said. "Or maybe the president did not want to consider the option."
Abdul Wahed Mokhles, a political analyst from Herat, said that if people like Haidari make there way into the cabinet then the promise of the new government is bleak. "While the government argues transparency on the one hand and selects someone like Haidari on the other hand, the continuation of these activities shows a dark future for Afghanistan," he told TOLOnews.
Residents of Kabul, who have been some of the most outspoken and critical about the government's delay in announcing the new cabinet, have responded similarly to news of Haidari. "When they have nominated someone who has a criminal background, how can they serve the people of Afghanistan," a Kabul resident named Zakia said.
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