Kabul: The mayor of Kabul, sentenced to
four years in prison in a landmark corruption case, has gone
back to work and said today he was innocent, branding his
conviction a conspiracy.
An Afghan court sentenced Mir Abdul Ahad Sahebi today
for wasting around USD 16,500 of public money after hearing
one of a string of corruption, embezzlement and misuse of
power cases pending against the mayor.
It was the first high-profile corruption conviction
since President Hamid Karzai came under renewed Western
pressure to crack down on graft and the mayor's return to work
raises questions about the power of the courts.
"I'm innocent. The whole thing was and is a conspiracy
against me," Sahebi told by telephone from his office at
the municipality.
Asked who was behind the plot, the mayor said: "I have
requested the attorney general and supreme court to
investigate my case, it's inappropriate to name anyone before
the investigations conclude."
"This is a conspiracy against someone like me, whose
life is dedicated to serving the country and fighting
corruption," he said.
A senior official in Afghanistan's attorney general's
office confirmed the mayor had been released on bail following
his sentencing.
"Yes he has been freed on bail," deputy attorney
general Fazil Ahmad Faqiryar told.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, December 09, 2009, 14:50