Afghan Biographies

Anti-Corruption Criminal Justice Center ACJC


Name Anti-Corruption Criminal Justice Center ACJC
Ethnic backgr.
Date of birth
Function/Grade Background
History and Biodata

see also Anti-corruption Judicial Center (ACJC)

Director Anti-Corruption Criminal Justice Center (ACJC) :
Alif Urfani (20161208)

Background:
On June 30, 2016, after two years of discussions held among the leaders of the National Unity Government, Afghanistan inaugurated a center to fight corruption in the country. (Eftetahe Markaze Qazae-e Mubareza Ba Fasade Edari Dar Afghanistan [Inauguration of Judicial Center for Combatting Corruption in Afghanistan].
President of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Mohammad Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai has officially inaugurated the Anti-Corruption Criminal Justice Center (ACJC) aiming to eliminate corruption and bring government officials accused of corruption into justice.
Reportedly, this center will be comprised of police, prosecutors, and judges from Ministry of Interior, Attorney General Office and courts.  Police will detect corruption, prosecutors will prosecute criminals and judges will pass verdicts, all in the same center, in a transparent manner under one leadership and management.(20160701)

Thirty-five people, including 14 judges, have been assigned to the centre, which comprises a court of first instance and a court of appeal. “Whoever they are, they have been checked and cleared,” the spokesman for Attorney General Jamsheed Rasooli said.
To date, they have taken 55 cases and 31 suspects are behind bars, with “five ministries” in their sights, as well as “the Central Bank of Afghanistan and the issuing authority of identity cards”, he says, but gives no further details. Earlier this month the court handed down its first sentence: two and a half years in prison for military prosecutor General Abdul Haye Jurat. He was caught red-handed as he pocketed 50,000 Afghanis from a prisoner’s family, demanded to secure the man’s release at the end of his sentence.(20161129)


More Background:
The absence of a strong, official, governmental anti-corruption body was a significant obstacle in effectively prosecuting and investigating senior government officials such as ministers, deputy ministers, and governors. The center is tasked with prosecuting and trying grave and high-profile corruption cases and coordinating anti-corruption efforts nationwide.


The center will be led by the Attorney General of Afghanistan.  According to a news report published on July 14, 2016, the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) stated, “staff recruitment for the anti-corruption justice center is in the final stages. The center will be operational as soon as the recruitment process is completed. (July 14, 2016).)

In addition, a new call center will be established to receive complaints and recommendations from the public. A memorandum of understanding has also been signed between the Attorney General’s Office and the Ministry of Interior to better facilitate cooperation between the two institutions.(May 29, 2016).)

Asia Foundation released its findings for this year's survey (2016)  on Afghan people where it found that this year, nearly all Afghans say corruption is a problem in all areas of daily life, with 61.0 percent calling it a major problem and 28.2 percent saying it is a minor problem.

According to their report they stated urban residents (72.1 percent) are significantly more likely than rural residents (57.3 percent) to see everyday corruption as a major problem.

The report stated that Afghans most frequently report directly experiencing corruption in the courts and judiciary (59.5 percent) or the municipal and district governor's office (58.9 percent).


 

Last Modified 2019-07-06
Established 2016-12-08