Afghan Biographies

Delawari, Noorullah Dilawari


Name Delawari, Noorullah Dilawari
Ethnic backgr. Tajik
Date of birth 1942
Function/Grade Ex Da Afghanistan Bank Official
History and Biodata

1. Former Heads Head of State (Central) Bank:
Dr. Anwar ul Haq Ahady Ahadi (2002 - 2004),
Noorullah Dilawari (2005 - 2007),
Abdul Qadeer Fitrat (20071117 - 20110627 ),
Noorullah Dilawari Delawari nominated 20111123 and confirmed  and 20111126 (20141010) resigned 20141206.
Khan Afzal Hadawal, First Deputy and Acting Governor of the Afghanistan Central Bank (20150208)

First Deputy Governor of the Da Afghanistan Bank:
Khan Afzal Hadawal (20111118, 201260208)
Second Deputy Governor of the Da Afghanistan Bank:
Alhaj M. Issa Turab (2011110)
Central Bank spokesman:
Aimal Hashoor (20100907, 20110329),

Chief Adviser Central State Bank:
Syed Ishaq Alvi (20110328)

Members of the Supreme Council:
Abdul Qadeer Fitrat , DAB Governor and Chairman of Supreme Coucil (Supervisory Board or Board of Directors,. resigned,
Mohibullah Safi, First Deputy Governor of DAB and Vice Chairman Supreme Council, (Supervisory Board or Board of Directors).
Dr. Abdul Ghani Ghawasi Member of Supreme Council, (Supervisory Board or Board of Directors).
Dr. Homayoon Qaumi Member of Supreme Council, (Supervisory Board or Board of Directors).
Dr. Shah Mohammad Mehrabi Member of Supreme Council, (Supervisory Board or Board of Directors).
Noorullah Delawari Member of Supreme Council, (Supervisory Board or Board of Directors).
Ghulam Faroq Achikzad Member of Supreme Council, (Supervisory Board or Board of Directors).·
Mohibullah Safi – Acting Governor of the Da Afghanistan Bank
Alhaj M. Issa Turab Second Deputy Governor of the Da Afghanistan Bank 

Director General of the central bank's Financial Supervision Department:
Muhammed Qaseem Rahimi (20110206)
General Director of Public Credit Registry and Registry of Securing Charges on Movable Property:
Nesar Ahmad Yosufzai Nisar Ahmad Yousafzai (20131217)
Deputy Director of Public Credit Registry:
Abdul Nasser Sahak (20150530)

2. Previous Functions:
Prior to 2002 Delawari worked as a commercial banker in the US, including 16 years as Vice President of Multinational Division, Lloyds Bank of California in the USA,
Since 2002 Noorullah Delawari had been the Senior Advisor to the Minster of Finance and also was the Governor and Chairman of Supreme Council of Central Bank of Afghanistan (Da Afghanistan Bank) from November 2004 to December 2007,
Founder of Afghanistan Investment Support Agency (AISA) and served as President and CEO of AISA from July 2003 to November 2004,
Minister Advisor to President Karzai on Banking and Private Sector,
Head Central State Bank Da Afghanistan Bank (2005 - 2007),
Member of Supreme Council Da Afghanistan Bank DAB, (Supervisory Board or Board of Directors)
Head Central State Bank Da Afghanistan Bank nominated 20111123, confirmed by Wolesi Jirag casting 173 votes for him.(20111126) resigned 20141206.

3. Biodata:
DelawariDelawari was born in Kabul on November 23, 1942. He left his home country in 1967 to accept a Colombo Plan university scholarship in the United Kingdom in the fields of commerce and economics. Here, he performed basic training at National Westminster Bank, and then continued his studies at the University of California in Los Angeles. When the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979, Delawari decided to settle in Pasadena. Delawari returned to Afghanistan, and was given the task of strengthening the national bank, with the help of future governor Anwar ul-Haq Ahady and then Minister of Finance Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai. Delawari succeeded Ahady as governor of Da Afghanistan, and began his term in 2005. Abdul Qadeer Fitrat succeeded him in 2007. Following Fitrat's resignation, Delawari was nominated to be reinstated as governor of the bank on November 23, 2011. He was reappointed only a few days later, on November 26.
Delawari left Afghanistan in 1967 when his country was a mostly peaceful monarchy. While in London, he did some basic training at National Westminster Bank before extra studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. As his studies were ending in the mid-1970s with a B.S. Business/Economics from University of California, his country began to descend into political turmoil. Delawari decided to settle in Los Angeles, in suburban Pasadena, where he worked for many years at Lloyds Bank of California, rising to be vice-president and head of its international division and, later, joining Bank of the West and California's Independence Bank. By early 2002, Delawari had cashed out his 401K US pension plan to return to Afghanistan for the first time since 1967. He was quickly tasked with fixing the central bank. He joined the University of Rhode Island economist and Pashtun politician Dr. Anwar Ul-haq Ahady, who would become Da Afghanistan's governor, and then finance minister Ashraf Ghani in the team to right the central bank, and kickstart a banking sector.

The technocrat Mr. Delawari is a very controversial rated person in Kabul. In august 2006 Wolesi Jirga rejected his nomination as chief of the Afghanistan National Bank. However, Karzai immediately responded by reinstating Delawari as acting governor of the central bank, saying there were no other viable candidates, and the banking and finance committee of parliament asked the president to formally re-nominate him as governor. Later in a second try he got the vote of confidence and was confirmed by the Wolesi Jirga. His daughter, who works in Hollywood, was staying a few blocks from the World Trade Center on 9/11.

Noorullah Delawari, has rejected a US media report that accused him of taking a bribe from a commercial bank official. The New Yorker in a recent article has accused Delawari of taking US$ 180,000 as a bribe from Kabul Bank officials (20110207). Delawari, who had also served as a former senior adviser to the finance minister, still sits on the central bank's supreme council, the bank's decision-making body.

Delawari has been questioned on corruption charges against former Minister of Transport Qasimi was reported by Pahjwok (20110329).

delawari_arianaHis daughter Ariana Delawari is a local singer-songwriter who released her album “Lion of Panjshir,” which was recorded 2007 partly in her ancestral hometown of Kabul with local musicians.

The government has introduced Noorullah Delawari as the news governor of the Central Bank and his biography has been sent to the parliament. (20111026)

 

Central Bank governor Nurullah Delawari handed in his resignation on 6 December 2014. Delawari claimed he had resigned because he was already three years past the retirement age (while also hinting that interference from the ministry of finance had been a factor in his decision).


Delawari holds a USA  passport.

Last Modified 2015-07-08
Established 2009-10-19