Afghanistan's Government Is A "Looting Machine" - Former Afghan Finance Minister To CNN's Amanpour

AMANPOUR: Joining me now from Kabul is Ashraf Ghani. He was a presidential candidate in this latest Afghan election. He's a former finance minister and a former World Bank official, perhaps best placed to tell us what's needed and what's possible in Afghanistan.

Welcome to our program, Mr. Ghani.

ASHRAF GHANI, FORMER AFGHAN FINANCE MINISTER: Pleasure to be with you.

AMANPOUR: Mr. Ghani, when I saw you earlier this year, you told me that it was no longer just corruption in Afghanistan, but whole-scale looting. People are telling me now that it's a criminalized institution, the government and governance there. What can be done to change it?

GHANI: First, it's question of results. Two thousand individuals in positions that have turned the government into a looting machine need to be changed. People of integrity and judgment need to be appointed.

Second, failures of abuse need to be prioritized. There are a series of tests. The first is what is going to be done with customs revenue. Right now, there are indications that several hundred million dollars might have been stolen from customs revenues at the Kabul Airport alone.

Second are tolls in the roads, in allowing governors to impose taxes that have no basis in the constitution and have not been put in government accounts. So, again, this is a clear area.

So the list goes on. And there's the mining issue. The Washington Post has an article accusing the minister of mines of having received $30 million in payment for a copper contract. Afghanistan is very rich in natural resources, and the way these contracts are handled is going to be very critical.

Continues: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0911/19/ampr.01.html

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[omarandar]

If anyone reads these comments and can take some actions based on good comments, then I think translations of such interviews in Pastoo, Dari, Uzbeki, Turkmeni, Baloochi and Nooristani and then broadcasting by for example BBC or VOA or some other radios would increase greatly the awareness of the Afghan public in the remote areas. And it is these people who form the majority and play a vital role in the future elections. Not all the people have access to YouTube or satalite TVs.

[omarandar]

If anyone reads these comments and can take some actions based on good comments, then I think translations of such interviews in Pastoo, Dari, Uzbeki, Turkmeni, Baloochi and Nooristani and then broadcasting by for example BBC or VOA or some other radios would increase greatly the awareness of the Afghan public in the remote areas. And it is these people who form the majority and play a vital role in the future elections. Not all the people have access to YouTube or satilite TVs.

[reza4]

bravo,men like this are the only true hope afghanistan has.almost every afghan who has gone back to help "rebuild" have done nothing but loot or collect money under charity and under the name of poor afghans and not only they sent the money out of the country in personal accounts they have also looted and have handed over billions of dollars of afghan resources to outsiders who are mining and selling off billions of dollars of national interests for 1 million on 1 billion.

[zhakfar1]

What is wrong with the subtitle?