Ex-Afghan president likely did not flee Afghanistan with millions, report finds

Former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his senior advisers seemingly fled Afghanistan with out thousands and thousands that went lacking throughout the Taliban takeover, opposite to rumors, an oversight report has discovered. Because the authorities’s data are actually managed by the Taliban, it is perhaps exhausting to search out the definitive offender. 

The interim report launched by the particular Inspector normal for Afghanistan reconstruction concluded that throughout the collapse of the federal government final summer time,  Ghani and his advisers might  have taken nearer to $500,000 as they left the nation by helicopter, however the quantity didn’t exceed $1 million, the report discovered. 

That is far lower than the $5 million that disappeared from the presidential palace and the estimated tens of thousands and thousands that went lacking from the Nationwide Directorate of Safety vault throughout the chaos of the Taliban takeover. 

The findings are in an interim report on the theft of funds from Afghanistan, and a ultimate report is predicted after the inspector normal conducts extra interviews. Nevertheless, the interim report said it will be tough to find out who stole the thousands and thousands for the reason that authorities’s data and safety surveillance are actually within the fingers of the Taliban.  

After greater than 30 interviews with former Afghan officers, the inspector normal dominated out within the interim report Ghani because the offender, since he and his advisers have been targeted on evacuating rapidly — and with extra individuals than the helicopters have been supposed to hold. 

The Russian Embassy in Kabul accused Ghani and his adviser of  taking $169 million with them after they flew from Afghanistan. The inspector normal discovered this  was unlikely, as a result of house and weight the money would occupy. 

The report assessed that $169 million in hundred greenback payments stacked finish to finish “can be considerably bigger than a normal American three seater sofa,” and would weigh almost two tons.  

The presidential helicopters have been too overloaded with passengers and gasoline to have made room for added cargo, particularly cargo weighing two tons, in accordance with the interim report. 

Because the Taliban rapidly closed in on Kabul, Ghani’s group targeted on escaping with their lives. 

The choice to flee was so abrupt that Ghani was barefoot, requiring an official to search for his footwear, and Ghani did not even have time to search out his passport earlier than evacuating.  

Ghani had organized for his spouse, former first woman Rula Ghani, to flee the nation with senior officers, however because the safety group was making preparations, the scenario for the president deteriorated. The pinnacle of the presidential safety group warned the nationwide safety adviser that if the helicopters left Ghani behind, “the president can be killed,” in accordance with the interim report. 

On Saturday, Aug. 14, Ghani delivered a video tackle from the presidential palace expressing his perception that the Taliban advance might be stopped, however by the top of the following day, he had fled, and movies of the Taliban contained in the presidential palace have been broadcast extensively. 

Ghani’s Fb shared a put up Aug. 15, 2021, after he had already fled, that stated partially, “Taliban had made it clear that they’re able to assault Kabul and the individuals of Kabul to take away me. To keep away from a flood of bloodshed, I made a decision greatest to get out. Taliban received the judgment of sword and gun and now they’re answerable for defending the respect, wealth and self.”