Jamshid Rasouli, spokesman for the Attorney General's Office (AGO) said at a press conference on Sunday that the office has dealt with more than 1,500 cases of corruption in the past year.
“In 1396 (Solar year) the AGO dealt with more than 1,526 cases of corruption,” Rasouli said.
“Out of 1,526 cases of corruption, the Anti-Corruption Criminal Justice Center (ACJC) dealt with 426 cases which resulted in the suspension of 15 individuals, and 54 government employees including military personnel have been banned from traveling,” Rasouli added.
Speaking at the press conference Rasouli said the ACJC has so far prosecuted 188 people including senior government officials and general officers.
This comes after Transparency International issued its annual Corruption Perceptions Index and ranked Afghanistan as the 4th most corrupt country in the world, trailing only Syria, South Sudan and Somalia.
The study ranks Afghanistan in 4th place among 180 countries in the world.
The index also highlights that the majority of countries are making little or no progress in ending corruption, “while further analysis shows journalists and activists in corrupt countries risking their lives every day in an effort to speak out”.
The Attorney General's Office said that it has dealt with 1,526 cases of corruption and ACJC has issued separate related orders for recouping one billion Afghanis, plus $49.5 million USD and 300,000 Pakistani rupees.
“Over 1,000 corruption cases were at the ACJC and also at the anti-corruption prosecutors department ,” Rasouli said.
The minister of economy Mustafa Mastoor said: ”We all know that after poverty and insecurity, corruption is the third biggest problem in the way of development in the country.”
“Addressing financial and administrative corruption is a process that takes time, but we should have seen some effects and signs so far,” an expert said.
However, the Attorney General's office says the government's tolerance for corruption is zero and anyone accused of corruption at any level will be brought to justice.