Recent documents reveal that the former governor of Balkh, Atta Muhammad Noor, has seized the financial resources of the Hairatan port and has funded his criminal network through them.
During the fallen republic, under the political influence and power of Atta Muhammad Noor, the governor of Balkh and a member of the Resistance Council leadership, members of his criminal network and the then director of Balkh Customs, Masood Asfiya, were receiving 70,000 Afghanis daily from imported goods, amounting to 30,000 dollars monthly and 360,000 dollars annually, as bribes. They would then smuggle these goods out of the country through their trafficking networks.
This was a small example of corruption. In 1396 (2017), the representative of Balkh Provincial Council, Mohammad Asif Momand, protested against the local administration of Balkh. Then, the governor of Balkh arrested him and imprisoned him in his personal jail, even cutting off his ear for this crime.
At that time, Mohammad Asif Momand told the media that the Hairatan Port, the Balkh Provincial Hospital, and the Balkh Municipality were the revenue sources of the Balkh governor, through which he pumped his criminal economy, expanded his criminal networks, and terrorized his political opponents.
Similarly, Atta Muhammad Noor awarded the contract for collecting revenues from the Four Gates of Balkh to his close associates for 210 million Afghanis, but the actual revenues there were much higher. Local companies wanted to acquire the contract for a higher price of 350 million Afghanis, but the owners of these companies were threatened to withdraw from the contract in favor of his criminal associates. Atta Muhammad Noor had also established dozens of private companies to monopolize all contracts.
Private cities(townpeoples), universities, hotels, hospitals, schools, and many other properties belonged to him, and no citizen could invest without his permission. According to the New York Times, when Atta Muhammad was removed from his position in Balkh province, he accused the Kabul government of widespread corruption while wearing a $27,000 watch and a ring worth thousands of dollars that had twenty diamond-studded bands.
The Wall Street Journal also published a list on the 23rd of the month of Saur 1401 AH regarding the corruption of Ghani’s cabinet and officials. It mentioned that the former governor of Balkh, Ata Mohammad Noor, had purchased an expensive house in the Al-Nakheel area of Dubai. His spokesperson confirmed to the Wall Street Journal that Ata Mohammad Noor owns only this one house abroad. However, there are rumors about his properties in Turkey, Tajikistan, and Europe.
It is worth noting that Hindukush Voice recently disclosed important documents regarding the corruption of Ata Mohammad Noor and his criminal circle, which were linked to him and had seized all revenue sources.
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