Ghani fined for failing to return govt vehicles

 
KABUL (Pajhwok): The Independent Electoral Complaints Commission (IECC) on Saturday slapped a fine of 50,000 afghanis on presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai.
Announcing results of its investigations into complaints against four runners, the watchdog chief said Ahmadzai had been accused of misusing government resources.
IECC Chairman Abdul Sattar Sadat said the Presidential Palace’s Administrative Affairs Office and the Cabinet Secretariat had filed complaints against Ahmadzai, accusing him of not returning two armoured vehicles.
He had been given the vehicles during his official tenure as chief of the Security Transition Programme. Sadat said Ahmadzai, unlike other candidates, had not sought armoured vehicles from the Ministry of Interior.
But he continued to illegally possess for the last five months the armoured vehicles he was previously given.
Other candidates accused of violating the Election Law include Daud Sultanzoy, Abdul Rab Rassoul and Abdul Rahim Wardak. Sultanzoy is shown in a video clip, threatening a private TV channel reporter.
Sadat said the video shared on social media was authentic and the case being of a criminal nature had been referred to the Attorney General Office (AGO).
Sayyaf has been accused of benefitting from government resources in his election campaign. Sadat showed a picture of a police pickup carrying a portrait of Sayyaf.
However, the IECC official said the police vehicle’s number plate was not visible in the picture and it seemed the photo was not real.
He added the commission had written a letter to Sayyaf and cautioned him against using government resources during his campaign.
In complaints against Wardak, a teacher has been accused of using a government school and its students in the campaign for Wardak in central Parwan province.
But Sadat said the complaints were rejected after no concrete evidence could be produced and complainants failed to testify before the commission.
ma/mud

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