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Afghan mining minister accused of being bribed

Calcutta News.Net
Wednesday 18th November, 2009

There have been reports from Afghanistan that the Minister of Mines has been accused of accepting a bribe of at least $20 million.
There have been reports that the Minister of Mines in Afghanistan has been accused of accepting a bribe of at least $20 million.

The Washington Post has claimed Mohammad Ibrahim Adel accepted money to ensure a lucrative copper mining contract went to a Chinese firm.

The transaction allegedly occurred in 2007, when the Afghan government awarded the multi-billion dollar project to the state-run China Metallurgical Group.

The Chinese firm contracted to invest nearly $3 billion and pay the Afghan government royalties of some $400 million per year, in exchange for access to one of the world's largest unexploited copper deposits.

Concerns were raised at the time by other mining interests in the US and Canada, that the bidding process on the Aynak deposit in central Logar province may have been handled improperly.

The US State Department has said the allegations are very serious as the issue of corruption in Afghanistan was a topic of great importance during the Karzai election process.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is now expected to raise the issue with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Clinton is in Afghanistan for Mr Karzai's Thursday inauguration.
 

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Comments on this story

SANDRAT
11-18-09, 06:24 PM

Karzai minister accused of accepting Chinese bribe

I only wish our President had the guts to stand up to the Chinese,rather than bow down to them,the Russians and Chinese look at him as a weak appeaser,much like Lord Chamberlain was in England prior to WWII

Anonymous
11-18-09, 06:45 PM

Corruption in the third world country is always rampant and sometimes it is not voiced or written because fear of dear life.Crooks has the power on life and death. When challenge it could be very bloody.It is true to all country that has dishonest goverment and I do not have to mention it....

Bayer
11-19-09, 01:24 AM

If it is fact:


From whom we will request justice whenever authorities’ like this minister or our educated people they aim progress of country do like this…,
International community have complain about gunmen but who and say they are trouble for afghan society how about these people they came by support of international soldiers support and equipped with pens dangerous then guns.
I remembered the talk from our native old men who they were commenting the to Afghan crisis and Russian invasion “That country is destroyed by educated….who they are originated from school an university.”
Dear reader
I don’t want to bring the issue to be mad so serious but that was an example and every society have good and bad.

Bayer
11-19-09, 01:26 AM

If it is fact

If it is fact:
From whom we will request justice whenever authorities’ like this minister or our educated people they aim progress of country do like this…,
International community have complain about gunmen but who and say they are trouble for afghan society how about these people they came by support of international soldiers support and equipped with pens dangerous then guns.
I remembered the talk from our native old men who they were commenting the to Afghan crisis and Russian invasion “That country is destroyed by educated….who they are originated from school an university.”
Dear reader
I don’t want to bring the issue to be mad so serious but that was an example and every society have good and bad.

Anonymous
11-19-09, 06:53 AM

Falsehood

Lack of integrity of the individual and collective government authorities is the cause of backwardness and down-fall in most of these countries. What you believe in and what you practice can be two different things.

Shah
11-19-09, 07:32 AM

Can of worm is about to open up!

This is only the begining, only one worm has popped out so far, wait till the entire canful of worms would come out. You better have the right governmental authority to catch them and destroy them all.

Anonymous
11-19-09, 09:21 AM

Sour grape

The matter of the fact is Canada and US mining firms wanted the mining right cheap while china agreed to pay 400 million dollar per year for the right. Of course they loose out in the bidding. If they bid 500 million dollar royalty per year then the right will be theirs. But in hind side, I don’t think they will do that, these colonialists used to have such right free in the past, its hard to swallow paying normal price for such right, at least their citizen at home will not accept that.

kawahchan
11-19-09, 11:00 AM

2012 DAN QUAYLE Presidency to correct Karzai's inauguration speech.

(R) 2012 DAN QUAYLE Presidential Foreign Policy & Affairs / CIA reform: We like to correct the re-elected Afghan President Karzai’s inauguration speech about he wants Afghan forces in charge within 5 years, as he is sworn in for a second term amid fresh violence. No, Hamid Karzai, you DON’T have 5 years of Appeasement Policy ran by Obama-Clinton foreign policy; firstly 1), we American taxpayers are NOT willing to let Obama and Clinton to misuse our tax dollar to renew the Obama’s self-ambition Afghanistan War to tolerate the corrupt Karzai government is to encourage evil-doers. Secondly 2), the Obama-Biden administration will expire in the end of 2012, Karzai government will ONLY have 3 years of Obama’s foreign aid to steal, start at the 2013 US President DAN QUAYLE’s White House will HALT all American foreign aid to Karzai government, we have our OWN 2013 US CIA’s low-level department to manage our American foreign-aid to run our American PEACE CORPS to assist the Afghan villagers; our American foreign-aid money WON’T be in your Karzai government’s hands, that’s for sure. Karzai’s brother Ahmed Wali Karzai will be fired, also 2013 President DAN QUAYLE may order to arrest Ahmed Wali Karzai for illegal drug dealing and Opium trafficking. Thirdly 3), The 2013 DAN QUAYLE’s Pentagon will NOT continue to fight Obama’s self-ambition Afghanistan War for a corrupt Karzai’s seat. The 2013 DAN QUAYLE’s White House will order our US Air Force to crackdown all the Taliban’s Opium farms COMPLETELY, since 2009-2012 Obama-Clinton policy of appeasement on Taliban’s Opium farms growth. Obama-Clinton policy have NOT keen on crackdown Taliban’s Opium farms at all.
* Karzai minister accused of Chinese bribe, sounds like China is taking advantages from the US and NATO troops to do the fighting, and China is enjoying to absorb Afghan mine resources. China shouldn’t take a free-ride, the Beijing should send the Chinese troops of PLA to be a part of Obama’o' war in Afghanistan.

** JOIN us, the 2012 DAN QUAYLE Presidential campaign the “2009-2012 CEASE-FIRE with Taliban” together with Republican US Congress & Senate.
* 2010 (R) CARLETON S. FIORINA (Carly) for 2010 US Senator of California.

Mowww
11-19-09, 08:17 PM

Kawathan

Dan Quayle is an old goat and out of touch. No matter how much you cam[aign for him,he will not be nominated beacuse his idea is in the 60s. Who ever you are campaigning,it is imperative you need to pick up your brown bag with lunch and eat it at home.He is not going to win in a long shot....

dan quayle
11-19-09, 09:48 PM

i have copper

i, daniel quail, have some copper pipe stole from unky Josiah t shoeshine quail back in ol' alabammy in 1979 when i is a high school studint. give me 20million you chinee doods and i will give it you good.


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