An employee of DAI, a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) contractor, was arrested December 18 on bribery charges, U.S. officials reported. The action came as part of what the officials described as an on-going campaign against fraud and waste in U.S. aid efforts in Afghanistan.
Din Mohammad Ramin, 26, was charged with soliciting and receiving a one-time payment of $3,000. He allegedly was promised an additional $1,500 in exchange for processing a grant to a program beneficiary in Laghman Province. Ramin was a procurement officer for USAID’s Afghanistan Small and Medium Enterprise Development (ASMED) project, implemented by DAI. He was not a U.S. government employee, officials said.
As an Afghan citizen, Ramin will be prosecuted in an Afghan court on a criminal charge carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and restitution of $10,000.
U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker praised the arrest, saying, “Thanks to the efforts of investigators from Afghan Attorney General’s Anti Corruption Unit with the assistance of USAID’s Inspector General, this arrest signals our zero tolerance approach towards corruption. Yesterday’s arrest is an example of our ongoing efforts to identify and prosecute fraud so that donor funds can continue to be directed where they are most needed -- to the Afghan people.”
Over the past five years, U.S. investigations of fraud committed in development projects in Afghanistan have resulted in over 60 U.S. individuals being charged and over 40 subsequent convictions of U.S. citizens. Those U.S. citizens who were convicted received a total of approximately 600 months incarceration in the United States. These investigations resulted in recoveries and cost savings in excess of $100 million. In the last Fiscal Year alone, U.S. civilian-military Inspectors General and U.S. law enforcement opened close to 100 new investigations, recovered in excess of $28 million, and realized more than $10 million in cost savings.
Ramin was arrested by the Afghan National Police and investigators from the Afghan Attorney General’s Anti Corruption Unit with the assistance of the United States Agency for International Development Office of Inspector General (USAID OIG).
USAID’s Acting Inspector General Michael Carroll expressed his appreciation of the Afghan Attorney General’s Office and recognized its strong relationship with USAID OIG to prevent fraud, waste and abuse within programs and operations of USAID.
2011.12.20 Press Release USAID IG Ramin (English)
2011.12.20 Press Release USAID IG Ramin (Dari)
2011.12.20 Press Release USAID IG Ramin (Pashto)