VOA News Saturday, August 28th, 2010
A senior prosecutor in Afghanistan said Saturday he was fired by President Hamid Karzai because he insisted on pursuing corruption allegations against top government officials.
Former deputy attorney general Fazel Ahmed Faqiryar told The New York Times and the Associated Press he was forced from his job Thursday after he sent a junior prosecutor to speak about public corruption on Afghan television.
Faqiryar said the real reason behind the dismissal was his tug-of-war with Mr. Karzai over the investigation of more than two dozen senior Afghan officials, including Cabinet ministers, ambassadors and provincial governors.
Faqiryar said Mr. Karzai and Attorney General Mohammed Ishaq Aloko have refused to allow his office to move against corrupt politicians. Mr. Karzai’s office has denied that the president obstructed any investigation.
The Times said several western officials familiar with the cases have largely corroborated Faqiryar’s charges.
Some information in this story was provided by AP.