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US military contractor sentenced for taking bribes in Afghanistan
A US military contractor was sentenced this week to three years and 10 months in prison for accepting bribes from an Afghan contractor.
Orlando Clark, 57, was deployed to Afghanistan to evaluate bids for US-funded reconstruction contracts in 2011 and 2012.
The Department of Justice said Clark and co-conspirator Todd Coleman, an analyst at a different US company, accepted payments of around $400,000 from an Afghan company in return for helping it to win around 10 contracts.
To conceal their conduct, Clark and Coleman registered fictitious companies in Georgia and opened bank accounts to which bribes were sent via wire transfers from Afghanistan.
Clark and Coleman also created false invoices to make it appear as though they were involved in a car-exporting business in the UAE. In reality, Clark and Coleman used the bribe payments to purchase personal items, such as BMWs.
During the scheme, Coleman and Clark also travelled to the UAE to receive cash bribes, which they then smuggled into the US.
In addition, between 2015 and 2020, Clark also received bribes to sign false letters of recommendation for visas for Afghan nationals who worked as translators with US forces in Afghanistan.
Coleman, 48, was sentenced in February to two years and nine months in prison for his role in the schemes.
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Continued aid to Afghanistan vital for regional security: Kazakh president
Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has emphasized the continuation of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, stating that the ongoing provision of such aid plays an important role in ensuring regional security.
Speaking at the international conference “Peace and Trust” in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, Tokayev described addressing complex humanitarian challenges and the reconstruction of Afghanistan as a necessity.
“To ensure regional security, we consider it essential to continue providing assistance to Afghanistan, including by strengthening international efforts to address complex humanitarian issues and the reconstruction of this country. Kazakhstan remains committed to supporting the people of Afghanistan through humanitarian aid, educational projects, trade development, and food security initiatives,” he said.
Meanwhile, experts believe that sustainable improvement of the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan requires broad cooperation from the international community and support for the country’s economic development.
“Investment can be defined as one of the fundamental drivers of the economic cycle, and whenever Afghan traders do not take their money out of the country and instead invest domestically, it naturally leads to greater growth and dynamism in Afghanistan’s economy,” said Abdul Zahoor Modabber, an economic analyst.
As the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan continues, reports by international relief organizations indicate that millions of citizens of the country are in urgent need of food, health, and livelihood assistance.
The reduction in funding for aid organizations, the impacts of climate change, and the return of migrants have increased concerns about a further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the country.
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Islamic Emirate declines to attend Tehran meeting on Afghanistan
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Sirajuddin Haqqani: A government that intimidates its people is not a true government
Khalifa Sirajuddin Haqqani, Minister of Interior of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, said during a visit to Khost province on Friday that any government which rules through fear cannot be considered a true government.
“A government is one that is loved by its people, one that serves them with respect and compassion, and from whose behavior people learn ethics and sincerity,” he said.
Haqqani also stressed that Afghans who opposed the Islamic Emirate in the past should be tolerated and treated in a way that helps eliminate hostility and animosity, paving the way for national cohesion.
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