In a recent meeting, members of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the United States House of Representatives strongly questioned the Biden administration’s relationship with the Taliban. In addition to labeling the Taliban regime as “terrorist,” they expressed concerns about the appointment of a member to the Afghanistan Trust Fund by the United States for oversight of the fund in Switzerland. A member of Congress stated that Shah Mohammad Mehrabi, a member of the Afghanistan Trust Fund in Switzerland, concurrently holding a position on the Supreme Council of the Central Bank of Afghanistan under Taliban control, has been expelled from American institutions on charges of forging doctoral documents. He described the statements of Tom West, the U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan on Mr. Mehrabi as “common nonsense in Washington, D.C., and humorously dismissive.” However, a former Central Bank official claims that Mr. Mehrabi represents the Taliban regime and collaborates with them to manage the funds of Afghanistan’s trust fund. According to the official, Mehrabi assists the Taliban in accessing Afghanistan’s currency reserves.
Following the recent session of the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, where special representatives for Afghanistan were summoned to address the “Examining the Biden Administration’s Afghanistan Policy Since the U.S. Withdrawal: Part II,” sharp criticisms have been raised against the White House regarding its engagement with the Taliban.
Brian Mast, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, during a brief interview with Tom West, the U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan, stated that Shah Mohammad Mehrabi, a member of the Afghanistan Trust Fund in Switzerland, has close ties with the Taliban and has been expelled from American institutions for presenting forged educational documents.
Mr. Mast, speaking in a humorous tone during the conversation, emphasizes that the academic documents of Shah Mohammad Mehrabi, a member of the Afghanistan Trust Fund in Switzerland, are fraudulent. He dismisses Tom West’s responses, which express ignorance about the forgery of educational documents regarding Shah Mohammad Mehrabi, as “common nonsense in Washington, D.C.”
This U.S. Congressman asks Tom West, “Are you familiar with the name Shah Mohammad Mehrabi? Is he one of the four Afghanistan Trust Fund members with control over $3.5 billion? Who was responsible for verifying his documents?”
In response, Tom West states, “The verification process we followed adhered to the Federal Assets Law. We confirmed this individual from among the proposals presented at that time.”
Mr. Mast then asks, “Who had proposed him?” West responds, “Approved representatives from Afghanistan.” Mast presses further, “Approved representatives from Afghanistan? Who is this approved representative?” West replies, “I would be happy to discuss this with you elsewhere. Given legitimate security concerns in this public session, I cannot disclose more than this. Mast insists, “Won’t you say who this approved representative from Afghanistan is? So, you won’t answer. West replies, “I would be happy to talk under different circumstances.” Mast urges, “Don’t bring up the common nonsense in Washington, D.C.! Just say yes or no! Was Shah Mohammad Mehrabi expelled from Washington College for presenting forged documents, claiming to be a doctor when he was not?”
Mr. West, in response to the Congressman, says, “We were unaware of these allegations, but I don’t believe it would change our decision.” Mast presses, “Wouldn’t these allegations have influenced your decision to appoint him to the leadership council, even if you knew he presented forged doctoral documents?” I really don’t want to ask more because this point conveys to the core of what I want to say in the scrutiny process of individuals in the Foreign Ministry.”
Mr. Mast also questions the U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan about Shah Mohammad Mehrabi’s connection to the Taliban. However, West responds that he is a U.S. citizen with a decade of experience.
The Congressman emphasizes that Mr. Mehrabi, with experience gained from certain places, has been expelled due to forged documents while simultaneously being a member of the Supreme Council of the Central Bank of Afghanistan under Taliban control.
Mr. Mast adds, “If someone wants to be a member of that bank, they must align with the Taliban. On the other hand, we have approved him as one of the four members of this institution in Switzerland, tasked with controlling $3.5 billion on behalf of the United States, ensuring that this money does not return to the central bank of Afghanistan. This seems comic and an absolute conflict of interest.”
Meanwhile, Mirshekib Mir, former head of Financial Services Development at the Central Bank of Afghanistan, in an interview with the Hasht-e Subh Daily, recalling Mr. Mehrabi’s involvement in administrative corruption and the dismissal of young employees for ethnic reasons, emphasizes his familial relationship with Mirwais Azizi, the head of Azizi Bank. He asserts that in the previous government, Mr. Mehrabi supported this bank and exerted pressure on its rival banks in the Supreme Council of the Central Bank of Afghanistan.
The former head of Financial Services Development at the Central Bank adds that now, given his proven involvement in document forgery in a country like the United States, Mr. Mehrabi’s membership in the Afghanistan Trust Fund in Switzerland is a cause for serious concern. According to him, Mr. Mehrabi currently represents the Taliban regime and participates in meetings of the Supreme Council of the Central Bank under the control of this group.
Mr. Mir states, “This is a matter of concern for both the people of Afghanistan and the United States. Having an individual simultaneously serving on the Central Bank Council under the Taliban’s administration, while working in a fund whose funds should not fall into the hands of the Taliban, raises serious questions. To what extent can we be sure that a person capable of forgery, even teaching a doctoral course in a country like the United States, won’t compromise the information of the trust fund for the Taliban?”
He adds, “This person assists the Taliban by presenting plans and methods to access the reserves of the central bank, as he has dual interests. On one hand, the Taliban’s interests matter to him as his employees are associated with them. On the other hand, in representing the people of Afghanistan in the Afghanistan Trust Fund, he decides how to spend the people’s money.”
Nevertheless, Abdullah Khenjani, a former deputy ministry of peace affairs, speaking to the Hasht-e Subh Daily, states that the fundamental problem in today’s world lies in the dual standards of defining national interests. According to him, “For some, Hamas and sometimes all the Palestinian people and the Houthis are terrorists, but the Taliban is considered a partner.”
Mr. Khenjani adds, “Similarly, in the Western ideological system, there is a concept of ‘good corrupt’ when it comes to oneself and ‘bad corrupt’ for others. Shah Mohammad Mehrabi is an example of a ‘good corrupt’ figure in the Washington circles, who not only leads a fraudulent personal and academic life but is also a supporter of the Taliban in the U.S. financial support system for Afghanistan.”
Who is Shah Mohammad Mehrabi?
The Central Bank of Afghanistan has provided information regarding Shah Mohammad Mehrabi’s professional background, stating that he has worked as the head of the Audit Committee and is a member of the High Council of the bank. According to details published on the Central Bank’s website, Mr. Mehrabi obtained his bachelor’s degree from the California Polytechnic University. The institution also mentions that he pursued his master’s degree at the University of Cincinnati in the United States and obtained his doctoral degree from the U.S. as well. However, the university where he claims to have completed his doctoral studies has not been named.
Regarding his claim of being a professor at American universities, no specific university or academic institution has been mentioned. The Central Bank states that he has worked as a lecturer in the field of economics at various universities and institutes during his bachelor’s and master’s studies in the U.S., without providing the names of those institutions.
Mr. Mehrabi traveled to Kabul in December last year. On Wednesday, December 7, 2022, he participated in a session of the High Council of the Central Bank of Afghanistan under the control of the Taliban. While the bank, through a press release, did not mention Mr. Mehrabi by name, it published a photo of him during the session alongside the Taliban flag, depicting him engaged in conversation.
When was Mehrabi appointed to the Trust Fund?
On December 14 of the past year, the United States announced the transfer of $5.3 billion from the assets of the Central Bank of Afghanistan to a trust fund in Switzerland to be used for assisting the Afghan economy. According to the U.S. Treasury Department’s statement, this trust fund is overseen by a committee consisting of representatives from the United States, Switzerland, and two officials from the previous Afghan government (Anwar ul-Haq Ahadi and Shah Mohammed Mehrabi).
Mr. Mehrabi subsequently revealed that the U.S. Treasury facilitated the printing of new Afghan banknotes. The Taliban also announced the arrival of the first shipments of new banknotes printed in Poland last year, but they have not disclosed information regarding the quantity.
This comes as the United States has emphasized that this money will be used to repay debts to international institutions, support Afghanistan’s eligibility for development aid, and print currency.
These concerns arose as seven billion dollars of Afghanistan’s central bank assets in the United States were frozen following the Taliban’s takeover. After this action, families of the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks requested these assets as compensation. In response to this request, U.S. President Joe Biden issued an order allocating half of these assets as assistance to the people of Afghanistan and the other half to the families of the victims of the September 11 attacks.
It is worth noting that concerns about the alignment of the Trust Fund members with the Taliban have increased. Earlier, the U.S. Special Inspector for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) reported on the Trust Fund in Switzerland, stating that there is no specific control over this fund to ensure that the central bank’s assets are not diverted or used by the Taliban.