"We Are Investigating"

What more could any backward country ask for than a national who had studied abroad to receive his academic qualifications and bring them back home to act altruistically for the greater good of his country struggling to haul itself out of its medieval trap of social, economic, cultural and educational backwardness. 

And what better candidate than a man who was a PhD candidate in economics at Carleton University, in Ottawa, Canada.  His former professor at the university recalls him as a serious, determined student who brought his doctoral thesis defence "to a successful conclusion".  Hazarat Omar Zakhilwal was obviously being groomed to be a credit to his country, Afghanistan.

In Canada he worked as a senior research economist for Statistics Canada, in 1991.  He taught economics at Carleton University, where he earned his PhD in 2001.  He was a consultant for the World Bank, the United Nations and the Canadian International Development Agency.  All these details are accessible to the curious viewer, on the Government of Afghanistan's website.

He wrote despairingly of the demoralization that was prevalent as a result of international interference, that Afghanistan's right to democracy and self-determination was being undermined by a prodding international community.  He railed against the "narrow agenda of warlords and their foreign sponsors", some of those warlords of course, having been 'elected' to sit in Afghanistan's parliament.

This man of high moral principles and great academic accomplishments, experience within the international community, and love of country was named by his country's administration as finance minister.  Along with his 2009 appointment to the ministry of finance, he is also President Hamid Karzai's top economics counsellor.  Before that he was head of the country's investment support agency.

Obviously such an outstanding candidate for high office does what he does for love of country.  It couldn't be for the salary, which is $2,000 a month, along with $1,400 in food allowances.  Afghanistan is well known for its official and non-official, endemic corruption.  The international community has poured $50 billion in reconstruction money into the country since 2001.

And wonders where it all went.  So, corruption is a serious problem; Afghanistan ranks 180 out of 183 countries on the 2011 corruption perception scale by Transparency International.  Not a distinction to be proud of.  But international investors are loathe to continue investing in a country which swallows huge sums of money and there is little to show for it. 

So Afghan President Hamid Karzai last month issued a decree ordering all ministries to make a real effort to cut down on nepotism and corruption.  And ordered the Supreme Court to make strides on its investigations into corruption.  Now, Afghanistan's top anti-corruption chief is investigating Minister Zakhilwal's business and economic affairs.

The minister has denied any wrongdoing.  He stated that he has sources of income other than his ministerial salary.  He earns up to $1,500 daily as a consultant, for example.  Which has enabled him, through thrifty investing to purchase a personal vehicle valued at $160,000.  Enabling him also to transfer huge sums of money out of Afghanistan. 

Records indicate that from 2007 to 2011, $1,080,000 was transferred to Zakhiwal's personal accounts with Standard Chartered and Alfalah banks.  He transferred $100,000 to a Washington Mutual Bank in Canada to buy a house in 2007, then transferred $50,000 and $70,000 to that same account on later occasions.  And another $67,000 to his Royal Bank of Canada account in 2009.

"We are investigating this matter and cannot comment further.  In addition, we will not comment on an individual's financial matters publicly as a matter of policy", wrote a spokesperson for the Royal Bank of Canada.