Sources at the Taliban’s Ministry of Interior say that administrative corruption is spreading widely across various departments of the ministry. Speaking to the Hasht-e Subh Daily, these sources said that in security districts, shops, stores, restaurants, bakeries, mechanic shops, mobile phone outlets, and many other businesses are being illegally extorted. According to these sources, corruption is not limited to extortion; the process of issuing weapon-carrying permits, arms distribution, review of criminal cases, release of detainees, distribution of fuel, and recruitment of personnel is also accompanied by heavy bribes.
Jamshid (pseudonym), one of the sources at the Taliban’s Ministry of Interior, said that in various departments, including the procurement and distribution of police uniforms, projects are designed through which money is collected from contracting companies.
This source said: “In the fuel distribution sector, personnel do not receive their full fuel quota, and a portion of it is diverted for personal gain. Additionally, in security districts, shops, stores, restaurants, bakeries, mechanic shops, mobile phone outlets, and many other businesses are subjected to extortion. If a detained person pays, they are released; but if they cannot afford to pay, they are transferred to a security district.”
The source also claims that at the Criminal Investigation Directorate, the review of case files depends on payment as well. He added: “If someone pays a bribe, their case is processed quickly or arranged in a way that the judge orders their release. But if they do not pay, their case is delayed for months, and they are portrayed as guilty before the judge.” According to this source, dozens of cases remain pending, and several suspects are held in detention and monitoring facilities without any determination of their fate.
Sahel (pseudonym), another source at the Taliban’s Ministry of Interior, claims that corruption is also widespread in the process of issuing weapon-carrying permits and arms distribution. He said, “Those who pay money receive their weapon-carrying permits and the related identification cards within a short time. Even firearms that require registration and ballistic examination are approved without going through legal procedures and technical inspections.”
According to this source, there are also violations in the process of issuing the “No Liability” form. He added, “Individuals with pending cases or legal issues can obtain the No Liability form without any obstacle if they pay money.”
Sahel also claims that in the appointments section of the Ministry of Interior, individuals with connections or the ability to pay bribes are quickly hired and placed in senior positions, while those without connections or money are either not recruited at all or are assigned to low-ranking, low-paying positions.
This source further said: “At the Police Academy, individuals with connections or money are recruited even without participating in the entrance exam.” According to this source, the process of distributing benefits and overtime is also not carried out based on any specific criteria. He claims: “Benefits and overtime compensation are mostly allocated to relatives of officials and their favored individuals, and National Technical Assistance (NTA) positions are also mainly given to relatives of Taliban Ministry of Interior officials; positions whose monthly salaries in some cases exceed one hundred thousand afghanis (AFN).”
Sahel claims that the Taliban’s Minister of Interior is either unaware of a large portion of these violations, or if informed, takes no action to prevent them. He also said, “In the Police Township, apartments that were seized from former officials after the fall of the previous government were handed over to Taliban members without any specific criteria. Nevertheless, several individuals who paid bribes still reside in these residential units.”
Meanwhile, Rashed Behrouz, an expert on governance and anti-corruption, says that there are numerous reports of corruption in the Ministry of Interior under Taliban control. According to him, the level of corruption in this Taliban ministry is even more widespread than the corruption in the former government.
Behrouz added: “The service sectors of the Taliban’s military regime, particularly the electronic ID card distribution division, the Civil Registration and Population Authority, and the passport office, made the conditions for obtaining ID cards and passports difficult after the collapse of the former government to create the ground for corruption; because people were forced to obtain ID cards and passports at any cost, and as a result, many of them were able to acquire these documents by paying bribes.”
According to him, overall, within the structure of the Taliban’s Ministry of Interior, corruption has existed for a long time across various sectors, including food supply, salaries, uniforms, weapons, and generally in all expenditure areas. He said this structure has been inherited by the Taliban from the previous government, and this group has, through its own management style, created the conditions for even greater expansion of corruption.
This source added: “Because in the first place, the Taliban lack legitimacy and there is no oversight mechanism monitoring the group’s performance in government offices, the ground has been prepared for greater corruption. Taliban members can easily embezzle budget funds. Corruption exists systematically in the Taliban’s Ministry of Interior. Ultimately, there is no optimism that corruption will be prevented or reduced in the Ministry of Interior under Taliban control; on the contrary, there is a possibility of its further expansion.”
This comes as, two days ago, sources at the Traffic Directorate under Taliban control also said that corruption is widespread in this directorate. Speaking to the Hasht-e Subh Daily, these sources added that for certain individuals, international driver’s licenses are issued through their relatives and in exchange for bribes. According to them, private vehicles that pay daily or weekly bribes to traffic officers are granted permission to transport passengers, while other private cars are deprived of this right.
Some time ago, several citizens of Afghanistan also expressed serious concerns in interviews with the Hasht-e Subh Daily about the increase in corruption and bribery in government offices under Taliban control. They said that most of those who take bribes are Taliban members, and without paying them, no task is carried out.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
فساد گسترده و سیستماتیک در وزارت داخله طالبان؛ ادعاها از گسترش رشوهستانی در همه بخشها
