Afghanistan’s Inspector General resigns

The Afghan Inspector-General Ghizaal Haress announced on Sunday that she is stepping down from her position.

Haress said in a series of tweets that she had handed over her “resignation twice to the presidency which unfortunately was not approved.”

“After nearly two years of serving as the Ombudsperson, and after handing in my resignation twice to the presidency, which unfortunately was not approved, I am stepping down from my position,” she tweeted.

Haress, however, did not provide reasons for her resignation but stated: “As I step down, I hope that in the not so distant future, Afghanistan has a unified vision for fighting corruption.”

“I had the privilege of working with the most dedicated and highly talented Afghans who not only fought corruption in the most difficult times and circumstances; but were also a source of knowledge and inspiration to me on a daily basis.”

Haress was appointed as the Inspector-General for the Office of the Ombudsperson in August 2019.

President Ashraf Ghani in a decree on July 2, 2020, tasked the Office to inspect complaints and reports related to the management and use of funds allocated to fight COVID-19.

The Office of the Ombudsperson probed hundreds of cases regarding the embezzlement of COVID-19 funds and dozens of cases involving Afghan officials were referred to the Attorney General’s Office for further investigation.