Harsh Inspector General Report Says 0 of 16 Afghan Agencies can be Trusted with U.S. Aid
Suspicions of corruption in Afghanistan’s government have lingered for years since the U.S. invaded the country 13 years ago and helped install President Hamid Karzai in power. But the latest report from a government watchdog characterizes the problem as being so bad that not a single Afghan agency can be trusted with American tax dollars.
The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction has filed many bad reports on the U.S. effort to stabilize the country. But a new one (pdf) found damning information on U.S. funding provided to the Afghan government. It also accuses the U.S. State Department and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) of attempting to keep that information Congress and the American people.
The report states that Afghan officials permitted two international auditing firms hired by the Obama administration— KPMG and Ernst & Young—to inspect their operations. Using information collected by those firms, SIGAR concluded not a single Afghan government agency—out of 16 in total—is trustworthy enough to spend U.S. tax money properly—meaning keep it from being wasted or stolen.
Examples cited include the Afghan Ministry of Public Health, which was supposed to receive $236.5 million. But the money was in danger of misappropriation “arising from payment of salaries in cash,” according to a USAID risk assessment cited by SIGAR.
http://www.allgov.com/news/top-stories/harsh-inspector-general-report-says-0-of-16-afghan-agencies-can-be-trusted-with-us-aid-140201?news=852319
= new reply since forum marked as read
But considering how few U.S. agencies can be trusted with U.S. aid, 0 out 16 is actually pretty good.
rocktvity
