4 Detained for Electoral Fraud

The Afghan Attorney General arrested four persons including electoral employees on Thursday over charges of frauds in parliamentary elections

The detainees include two money changers and two members of electoral commissions, said Deputy Attorney General, Rahmatullah Nazari.

He said one other person who has had a major role in the election frauds will be arrested soon.

Mr Nazari told a TOLOnews reporter: "three or four individuals have been arrested and detentions of other involved ones are in progress and they soon will be captured. But an important person who is the main organiser of these cases is not arrested yet."

Hours after the final results of elections were announced on Wednesday, the Attorney General's Office declared it illegal and ahead of time.

In a statement released yesterday, the Attorney General's Office said some high-ranking Afghan officials were involved in the illegal announcement of the final results.

The Attorney General is determined to investigate frauds and violations in electoral commissions to bring fraud organisers to justice, it said.

Because of allegations of frauds in the elections, the announcement of final results was postponed and finally after two months the elections commission made the results public on Wednesday which was welcomed by UN special envoy to Afghanistan, US embassy in Kabul and European Union.

According to a report from Nangarhar, the former regional head of Elections Commission in the province, Akhtar Mohammad, has also been sentenced to two years in prison by counter-corruption court on charges of misusing his post.

Despite some irregularities and frauds in elections, elections watch dog and Independent Election Commission endeavours to identify and act against these challenges are pivotal steps to build Afghan electoral capacities, said UN Representative to Afghanistan, Staffen de Mistura in Kabul.

Mr Staffen de Mistura said the United Nations endorses the final decisions of IEC on taking more time to finalise elections results in Ghazni province.

The US embassy in Kabul in a statement said formation of a new parliament is a big step in the path leading to better democratic governance and building capacities of Afghan organisations to provide more services to Afghan people.