8 Subh, Kabul: Aga Rezaei, a member of the House of Representatives, published the order from the Administrative Office of the President (AOP) for 18 types of meat. Rezaei had previously said that 17 types of meat had been purchased by the presidency, including “quail and partridge” and “$30 million” for vegetables. His remarks made headlines on social media.
Abdul Hadi Arghandiwal, the ousted Minister of Finance, announced at a press conference on Monday, January 25, that one of the reasons for his dismissal was his membership in the National Procurement Commission. According to Arghandiwal, he opposed the contract for 18 types of meat at one of the commission’s meetings, and this protest prevented the contract from being signed.
According to documents published by Khan Aga Rezaei, 18 types of meat were ordered by the Department of Services of the AOP. The list includes various specialty cuts of mutton and veal. Medium-sized slaughtered ostrich, slaughtered and cleaned partridge and quail, fish fillets, fish without tail and fins, chicken sausage, veal sausage, beef, sheep liver, slaughtered and cleaned domestic chicken, liver, neck, and gizzard weighing from 1000 grams to 1200 grams and slaughtered domestic farm chicken without wings, liver, neck, and gizzard weighing from 800 to 1200 grams. Also, slaughtered and cleaned farm chicken, liver, neck, and gizzard weighing from 800 to 1200 grams are included in this list.
The document states that the call for bids for the purchase of 18 types of meat was announced on September 19 last year, in which 12 bidders received requests to bid from the website of the National Procurement Authority and one bidder submitted an offer.
After the bids were opened, a contract for 18 types of meat with Nawbahar Qalb Asia Company was signed with a minimum of 67,776,000 Afghanis and a maximum of 81,332,200 Afghanis.
The AOP has not yet commented on the documents. It had previously rejected allegations of having issued a $30 million contract to buy vegetables.
