Sources in Kabul report an increase in financial corruption in the Taliban municipality’s procurement projects and say that the transparency process in awarding these projects to companies is practically being violated. These sources also emphasize that the conditions stated in the tender documents have been illegally changed, and arbitrary modifications have been applied to make it easier for companies close to the Taliban municipality to win. They add that the Taliban mayor’s associates extort money from projects and circumvent legal processes to favor their preferred companies. According to the sources, in addition to this, rampant construction and elimination of green spaces in various areas of Kabul are worse than in the past, and no attention is paid to protecting green areas.
Sources in Kabul say that financial corruption in the Taliban municipality’s procurement projects has increased dramatically. According to these sources, the head of procurement for the Taliban municipality in Kabul, who is among the mayor’s close associates, declares companies as winners without going through transparent processes by receiving bribes and extorting money from projects.
This is while findings from the Taliban municipality’s website in Kabul show that this group has put procurement projects up for tender several times. But sources say that this action is taken because the applicants were not among the Taliban mayor’s associates, and if his preferred individuals do not win, the projects are put up for tender even for a fourth time.
Modifications in Tender Announcements to Favor Preferred Companies
Sources say that if companies close to the Taliban municipality and companies affiliated with Taliban individuals from Kandahar cannot meet the conditions stated in the project tender documents, the project conditions will be changed, and modifications will be made to the tender documents to simplify the process so that these affiliated companies can easily meet the conditions and win.
The report’s investigations of the Taliban municipality’s website also show that several projects have been modified by this institution. In one of these modifications, a project titled “Construction Project for Road Development from Abdulhaq Intersection to Tang-e Gharu (Second Lot)” has undergone drastic changes.
In the original tender document, it states: “To comply with the minimum eligibility criteria mentioned in paragraph 5 of Article 5 of this guideline, the eligibility figures of each partner of the joint venture are added together, and the total eligibility figures of the partners must complete 100 percent of the eligibility criteria. Each partner must complete at least 25 percent, and the main partner at least 40 percent, of the eligibility criteria. Failure to complete the above conditions will result in rejection of the joint venture’s offer.”
In the modification of this tender document, it states: “In case of submitting a joint offer, only one of the companies should complete the similar experience criterion, and the other criteria should be completed jointly. To comply with the minimum eligibility criteria mentioned in paragraph 5 of Article 5 of this guideline, the eligibility figures of each partner of the joint venture are added together, and the total eligibility figures of the partners must complete 100 percent of the eligibility criteria. Each partner must complete at least 25 percent, and the main partner at least 40 percent, of the eligibility criteria. Failure to complete the above conditions will result in rejection of the joint venture’s offer.”
Sources also say that in one of the modifications, to simplify the process in favor of companies affiliated with this group, the general experience of the company was set at 52 million Afghanis in the tender document. But during the announcement, Kandahari companies informed the municipality that they only had 32 million Afghanis of work experience. According to sources, the Taliban mayor immediately modified the amount from 52 million Afghanis to 32 million Afghanis and awarded the project to companies affiliated with the Kandahari Taliban.
These sources also emphasize that in another modification made by the Taliban municipality, two companies applied jointly. According to procurement law and procedures, both companies must separately have conditions such as having similar contracts and financial capacity based on a specified percentage. But in the modification, it states that it is sufficient for one of the companies to fulfill a similar contract, and the second company to participate in other conditions, which is itself an arbitrary action in favor of the preferred companies.
According to sources, this group’s contracts stated on the Taliban municipality’s website show that companies that have formal experience conditions in their own name and financial capacity in the name of another company are considered compliant with procurement laws; but in the Taliban municipality, these contracts are given to individuals.
These sources say that several asphalt procurement projects, each worth more than 30 million Afghanis, have been awarded to individual persons, which, according to them, is an illegal action and contrary to the procurement law and procedures accepted by this group itself.
One source says that the rampant construction of high-rise buildings in the areas of Karte-e Seh, Karte-e Char, Karte-e Parwan, Qala-e Fatullah, Shahr-e Naw, Khairkhana, and other planned points of the city continues intensively. He adds: “Construction is proceeding worse than during the previous government period, and they have built high-rises in all areas such that not even a small plot of land remains for green space.”
This source says: “In the pre-approval maps, green areas and digging septic tanks within the land premises were considered, but during construction, the green areas are completely eliminated and septic tanks are dug in sidewalks and public alleys.”
This is while previously a number of citizens of the country have complained about the increase in corruption and bribery in offices under Taliban control. They have said that the Taliban, in many cases, have changed the method of receiving bribes from cash to newer methods. According to these citizens, instead of demanding cash, the Taliban demand expensive goods or mandatory participation in hospitals, pharmacies, and construction projects.
Similarly, Transparency International announced in a report last year that Afghanistan, under Taliban rule, is among the most corrupt countries in the world. Based on this report, Afghanistan ranks 165th among 180 countries. The report’s findings show that the level of corruption in Afghanistan has increased compared to two years before.
Previously, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has accused the Taliban of forcibly diverting international aid, blocking aid to minorities, and possibly collaborating with UN officials to receive bribes.
SIGAR said this report was prepared based on interviews with nearly 90 sources, including American officials. The report states that the Taliban has manipulated the distribution of aid by using force and control over humanitarian operations. Also, reports about receiving bribes by UN officials for contracts and the possibility of sharing revenues with Taliban officials are raised in this report.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
تعدیلات فرمایشی و فساد ساختاری؛ شهرداری طالبان چگونه پروژهها را مهندسی میکند؟
