PRT HERAT: LOCAL REACTIONS TO THE GOA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 005816 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/FO, SCA/A, S/CR, SCA/PAB, S/CT, EUR/RPM STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE, AID/DCHA/DG NSC FOR HARRIMAN, O'SULLIVAN AND PATEL OSD FOR KIMMITT CENTCOM FOR CG CFC-A, CG CJTF-76, AND POLAD REL TO NATO/ISAF/AUS/NZ E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL AF SUBJECT: PRT HERAT: LOCAL REACTIONS TO THE GOA ANTI-CORRUPTION CAMPAIGN ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Reaction to the Attorney-General,s ongoing anti-corruption campaign is overwhelmingly positive in Herat. Heratis see this as the beginning of a groundswell against corrupt practices and a climate of backdoor dealing that has been pervasive in the past. Key figures have not yet been brought to trial, but local observers are satisfied that the process is in motion. END SUMMARY. -------------- THE CORRUPTION SCANDAL IN HERAT -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Attorney General (AG) Sabit,s anti-corruption campaign, which has targeted several leading politicians in Herat, continues to reverberate in the city. There is widespread support for this effort, as prior to the AG,s concrete steps, confidence in the GOA was starting to ebb in Herat. Anti-corruption efforts are seen here as a litmus test of how serious the GOA is on meeting its internal challenges. ¶3. (SBU) While there has been much attention on the AG,s efforts to target Herat,s mayor, he has spread a wide net. Some of the eleven accused of malfeasance are alleged to have ties to Iranian intelligence. These include two previously in charge of the city,s fuel supplies, Abdul Rahman Nikbeen and Ahmed Jan Kakar. A number of PRT key contacts associate the current wave of prosecutions with the beginning of the end of Mujahedden(Muj) rule in Herat, since a majority on Sabit,s list include former colleagues of Ismail Khan (IK). The Mayor in particular is seen as a remnant of IK,s administration in Herat. Of course, others accuse Sabit (an ethnic Pushtun) of an anti-Tajik campaign. Most, however, agree that the two cases in which the Mayor is accused of embezzlement ring true: the construction of a new five-star hotel and the expansion of the National Garden in Herat. ¶4. (SBU) Both of these projects were begun while IK was Governor, and had his tacit approval. Neither project went through a formal bidding process. Mayor Mojadaddi is accused of skimming several thousand dollars from the contracts issued, as well as altering fuel records for fuel consumed by city vehicles used in the National Garden project. The Chief of the Provincial Administration,s legal department, Mo,alem Majid, is accused of illegally selling off city-owned properties. Others that may have abused their offices include the former Chief of the Public Works department and the former deputy of Herat municipality, Salim Taraky. Rounding out the list of alleged embezzlers are Mohammed Ehsan, the Director of the Herat Municipality forest preservation section, and the Enjil District Prosecutor, Enayatullah Besharat. The Chief of Herat,s passport department was caught red-handed demanding $1,000 for issuing four passports. The Chief of Traffic Police is accused of demanding $12,000 for taxi permits from a private transport agency which works the Herat-Meshad (Iran) route. The Chief of the Torghundi (Turkmenistan) Customs border crossing point is also accused of embezzlement. ¶5. (SBU) Governor Syed Anwari has been interviewed on national television regarding the ongoing corruption scandal. Responding to charges that he sought to prevent Sabit from arresting Mayor Mojadaddi, Anwari noted that all public officials are accountable for their actions and said he was ready to cooperate with Sabit. Anwari also said he resented being left out of the loop as Karzai,s representative in Herat Province. Ismail Khan also spoke up on Tolo TV. Responding to charges that the accusations focus on officials who served him directly as Governor of Herat Province, IK defended Mojadaddi, calling him a &national hero8. -------------- COMMENT KABUL 00005816 002 OF 002 -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Observers in Herat are curious as to whether Sabet's anti-corruption campaign will be pursued equally aggressively in the southern Pashtun provinces. In the case of Herat, a key figure leading the local campaign will be the newly-appointed Chief Prosecutor, Maria Bashir, who appears to be a serious public servant. The key will be whether these cases are successfully brought to trial. Arrest warrants have begun to be issued, but the first, to Mayor Mojadaddi, has not been served. The mayor has appeared on Afghan national TOLO TV, defending himself, claiming there is no reason for him to escape the country and reiterating his claim that whatever he had done was done at the behest of then-Governor Ismail Khan. Mojaddadi,s brother, Mohammed Sharif Mojadaddi, is the head of the Western Region GOA Peace and Reconciliation Commission in Herat. Under AG Sabit,s direct orders, he too was detained briefly but and then released. Sebghatullah Mojadaddi, Speaker of the Meshrano Jirga and head of Afghanistan's Peace and Reconciliation Commission, has publicly defended his relative the Mayor. Heratis are patient, but they will be watching closely to see if tangible outcomes and convictions result from Sabit,s public campaign, or whether it is back to business as usual. END COMMENT. NEUMANN