The Natural Resources Monitoring Network (NRMN) on Sunday blasted the Afghan government for not disclosing the exact amount of money offered as bank guarantee by the Indian consortium which signed the contract for extractions at Hajigak mine.

According to NRMN there is no information about the money pledged by the Indian consortium as guarantee. They say the consortium has abandoned the project and now no-one knows whether the government received the money from the consortium or not.

The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum has not given any details of the bank guarantee of the Indian company. However, the Afghanistan Anti-Corruption Network (AACN) said the guarantee provided by the Indian company was around $50 million. 

According to NRMN the Indian consortium had put up some money as bank guarantee, but the fate of the money is uncertain after their withdrawal from the project.

“The issue of the Indian consortium has been in the agenda of the government. As a result, the consortium smartly withdrew from the project without losing a penny. The government needs to take the matter seriously,” said NRMN chairman Ibrahim Jaffari.

“Our findings show that the banking guarantee of Hajigak mine was around $50 million. We do not know what happened to the money as the government seems to be reluctant to give us the details,” said Khanzaman Omarkhail, AACN chairman.

Meanwhile, the ministry of mines and petroleum has said that they will disclose the exact amount once the Indian consortium announces its stance on the project.

“The government will act on the bank guarantee once the Indian consortium declared its position,” said Zabiullah Sarwari, spokesman to ministry of mines and petroleum.