Although all the structures of the fallen republic were based on corruption, some officials were more cunning and opportunistic than others. They knew that in this corrupt system, the more involved in corruption you were, the stronger your position would be, so they missed no opportunity. In that impoverished country, wherever they had access, they showed no hesitation in engaging in corruption and embezzlement.
A prominent political figure of that time, widely regarded as deeply involved in corruption and embezzlement, was Yunus Qanuni. He served as the Minister of Education, the First Vice President, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Qanuni not only appointed his family members to important positions to maintain his rule, but theft, land grabbing, and widespread corruption were his daily activities.
The beginning of Qanuni’s embezzlement: During the rule of Burhanuddin Rabbani, Yunus Qanuni was the Minister of Interior. During this period, he began collaborating with smugglers of precious stones from Badakhshan, initially taking money from them, but later forming direct partnerships with the smugglers; this marked the beginning of his corruption, which he never abandoned.
Who was Qanuni in the eyes of his leader? A BBC journalist says: One day, I had an interview with Ahmad Shah Masood, and he was complaining that cultural figures were not cooperating with him. I looked out the window and saw Yunus Qanuni with a few people, engaged in conversation. I told Masood: It’s good that people like Qanooni are working with you. Masood got angry and said: He is the same person who sells all of Afghanistan for a dollar.
The spread of corruption: After the Bonn Conference, a provisional government cabinet was formed in Kabul under the leadership of Hamid Karzai by the Americans. Yunus Qanooni was appointed as the Minister of Education among the cabinet members, and from that point on, the ministry became mafia-ridden and engulfed in corruption.
Although the media at that time could not expose the corruption of high-ranking officials, there are still documents that show millions of dollars were embezzled.
Some examples of this are:
Examples of corruption during the Ministry of Education: 1: He embezzled 25 million dollars from the state budget and, on paper, created hundreds of schools that did not physically exist. 2: Three million euros were received for the reconstruction of Aisha Durrani School, but only one hundred thousand euros were spent. According to a former reporter from Bakhtar Agency, Yunus Qanuni received three million euros from foreign donors for the reconstruction of Aisha Durrani School in Kabul during his tenure at the Ministry of Education. After the school’s reconstruction, our reporters conducted an investigative study on the expenses of the school and found that only one hundred thousand euros were spent on its reconstruction, and the rest of the money was embezzled by Yunus Qanuni. 3: Teachers’ salaries were being transferred to the Qanuni bank account through unknown means. 4: Educational materials were purchased from foreign institutions, but they were brought to the market and sold there. 5: Almost all educational projects and contracts were awarded to Younus Qanuni’s associates and companies, and through this, the nation’s unaccounted money ended up to Qanuni’s pockets.
More embezzlements and properties: Yunus Qanoni continued his theft even after his ministerial term. A report by the “New Yorker” in 2011 showed that he had received millions of Afghanis from Kabul Bank for his electoral campaign. Additionally, he had also seized vast state and private lands in Khair Khana.
Some of the Qanuni assets: 1: Luxury houses in Kabul’s Wazir Akbar Khan and Sherpur. 2: Apartments in Dubai, Istanbul, and European countries. 3: Partnership or ownership in private universities, hospitals, and companies.
The aforementioned examples are only the corruptions for which documents have been disclosed, but the real corruption is even deeper and more widespread. From these figures of his corruption, one can estimate his very large embezzlements and thefts. Not only was he an expert in theft during those times, but he is also currently involved in imaginary fronts against the caretaker government of Afghanistan, trying to cut off dollars from the international community and seeking to obtain dollar donations through these means and then embezzle them.
In the republican system under the wings of corruption and embezzlement, it was not only Yunus Qanooni, there were hundreds like him, but it was a system filled with embezzlement and corruption that had buried its fangs in the cities of the nation, leaving no national wealth untouched and remaining unfaithful to their masters, considering and plundering everything for their personal pockets.
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