Powerful figures in Afghanistan's northern Balkh province have been named for embezzlement and land grabbing in documents now with the High Office of Oversight and Anti-Corruption (HOO).
HOO head Azizullah Lodin declined to name the figures in question, but said that documented cases have been sent to HOO by the Attorney General's office for further investigation.
"I didn't want to show you these documents, but you have already seen that these cases are from 1381-82 and 1383 [2002-2003-2004] which were sent by the Attorney General's office in last month to further proceed [the cases]," Lodin said in an exclusive interview with TOLOnews.
An official close to the matter told TOLOnews, on condition of anonymity, that the cases sent to HOO named the leader of Junbish-e-Mili Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum, leader of Hezbe-Wadat Haji Mohammad Muhaqeq, and Balkh governor and member of Jamiat-Islami Ata Mohammad Noor as three powerful men who were gleaning personal benefits from the Hairatan region's income during the years Lodin mentioned.
The official also added that these figures were involved in land grabbing and building illegal buildings and residential towns on the land.
The Attorney General's office confirmed the allegations.
Deputy Attorney General Rahmatullah Nazari told TOLOnews that there is evidence to support the claims.
"I don't know who sent those cases to them [HOO], but yes, the incomes of the Hairatan port were distributed by these three parties at that time," Nazari said.
TOLOnews reporter then asked: "You mean Ata, General Dostum and Muhaqiq?"
"Yes, these people," Nazari replied.
The three men have rejected the allegations and said any evidence is part of a political conspiracy against them
Ahmad Bashir Tayanj, spokesman for Dostum's Junbish-e-Mili and Afghan lawmaker, dismissed the allegations of Hairatan income being using for personal benefit, saying that the incomes were accepted but they were used to fund the party members and other government expenses.
"The incomes from Hairatan were spent to fulfill the needs of the armed forces and other government organs like schools and universities. Gen. Dostum was not interested in such things and it's a political conspiracy against him," Tayanj said.
Balkh governor spokesman Farhad Munis said that income was accepted from Hairatan but it was spent to fund the parties needs. He also dismissed allegations of the governor owning a town in Mazar-e-Sharif.
"The Balkh governor doesn't own any residential town except the Khalid bin Walid town which was distributed to the victims of war in the north of Afghanistan," Munir said.
Muhaqeq also dismissed the allegations and urged the investigating officials to seek their responses from the responsible officials who were in Balkh province at the time in question.