Brother of Khalilullah Frozi, an Afghan businessman who was imprisoned in Kabul Bank fraud case when he was CEO of the bank in 2011, rejected the claims which say Mr. Frozi was freed from prison after paying almost $30 million to President Ghani’s re-election campaign.
Wahidullah Frozi said that Mr. Frozi is under house arrest.
“Both health committees say that it is difficult to treat him [Khalilullah Frozi in the prison]. His diabetes is above 500, therefore, the government decided to keep him under house arrest and treat him there,” Wahidullah Frozi said.
He said that presidential candidate Rahmatullah Nabil's claim about paying $30 million to Mr. Ghani's team is not true.
"He [Mr. Nabil] should share if he has any documents or evidence about this claim,” he said.
President Ghani’s spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said at a press conference on Saturday that the decision to transfer Mr. Frozi from prison to his house was made after consultations with relevant institutions.
He said that Mr. Frozi is under house arrest.
“The Afghan government does not interfere in judicial affairs. This decision is a judicial decision, a legal one,” said Mr. Sediqqi.
However, the Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah's Office said that they were not consulted on Mr. Frozi’s release.
“No consultation was made with the chief executive [Abdullah Abdullah] about the transfer of Mr. Frozi to his house. The concerns of the presidential candidates and the people of Afghanistan are justified,” a spokesman for Mr. Abdullah, Mujib Rahimi, said.
The release of Mr. Frozi was criticized by Afghan politicians as well as the US envoy in Kabul John Bass who said it hampers the anti-corruption efforts by the Afghan government.
The US envoy said in a tweet on August 15 that many Afghans in the country have suffered in the past decade because international assistance funds were stolen for personal gain.
Kabul Bank Scandal
In 2015, President Ghani ordered that Mr. Frozi should serve out his full 10 years in prison and pay his court-ordered fine of $137 million.
Kabul Bank once Afghanistan’s largest financial institution collapsed in 2010 after reports of embezzlement of over $900 million.
In November 2015, the government launched the 'Smart City Township' Project in which Mr. Frozi was a part. The aim of the project was to help the debtors of Kabul Bank repay their debt instead of being imprisoned.
However, President Ghani canceled the contract in February 2016.