VZCZCXRO2677
OO RUEHBC RUEHDBU RUEHDE RUEHDIR RUEHIK RUEHKUK RUEHYG
DE RUEHBUL #5816/01 3460823
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 120823Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4828
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE
RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE
RHMFIUU/COMSOCCENT MACDILL AFB FL
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 3379
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC//JF/UNMA//
RHMFIUU/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL

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