SIGAR

SIGAR OVERSIGHT ACTIVITIES
FIGURE 2.1
SIGAR INVESTIGATIONS: NUMBER OF OPEN
INVESTIGATIONS, AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2016
Procurement
and Contract
Fraud
94
Money
Laundering
19
Total: 259
Other/
Miscellaneous
65
Corruption
and Bribery
56
Theft
25
Source: SIGAR Investigations Directorate, 1/5/2017.
restitutions; and a recovery of $320,000 from a civil settlement. Additionally,
as the result of a SIGAR investigation, and subsequent coordination
with officials within the Ghani administration, a $99 million, improperly
awarded, sole-source contract was terminated, avoiding excessive costs to
the financing entity, to which the United States is a lead contributor. SIGAR
initiated 18 new investigations and closed 13, bringing the total number of
ongoing investigations to 259, as shown in Figure 2.1.
To date, SIGAR investigations have resulted in a cumulative total of 142
criminal charges, 107 convictions and 99 sentencings. Criminal fines, restitutions,
forfeitures, civil settlement recoveries and U.S. government cost
savings and recoveries total more than $1 billion.
Afghan Major General Convicted for Bribery
In late August 2016, SIGAR received information relating to allegations of
bid rigging and collusion involving owners of fuel and logistics companies
and Ministry of Interior (MOI) Major General Abdul Wase Raoufi. The bid
rigging was related to the MOI fuel-procurement bidding process. At the
time, Raoufi chaired the Fuel Evaluation Committee that oversaw MOI’s
fuel bidding and procurement process.
SIGAR initiated an investigation into these allegations in cooperation
with the Afghan Major Crimes Task Force (MCTF). The MCTF is an elite
investigative body which investigates high-level corruption cases. Working
jointly with SIGAR, the MCTF investigation revealed that Raoufi and MOI
officers used their influence in the bidding process to collect bribes from
the qualified bidding vendors of $100,000–150,000 for each of the seven zone
fuel lots in the MOI fuel contracts.
The MCTF initiated an undercover sting operation in conjunction with
and under authority of prosecutors of the Afghan Attorney General’s Office
(AGO) assigned to the MCTF.
On the evening of September 27, 2016, the MCTF established a surveillance
of an undercover meeting at Raoufi’s home in Kabul, Afghanistan.
During the meeting, Raoufi solicited a $150,000 bribe from an MCTF
undercover agent for the award of one lot on the MOI fuel contract.
Raoufi also implicated 16 other MOI officers in the bribery scheme during
the meeting.
On September 29, 2016, the MCTF undercover agent again met with
Raoufi. The MCTF officer paid a $150,000 cash bribe to Raoufi, who was
then arrested by members of the MCTF and AGO.
On January 9, 2017, Raoufi was found guilty of accepting a $150,000 bribe
in exchange for awarding a fuel contract. The trial was held at the newly
established Anti-Corruption Justice Center (ACJC). Raoufi was sentenced
to 14 years in jail and fined $150,000. He was also fined 18,000 Afghanis
for forging documents regarding an armored vehicle he was using. He was
allowed 20 days to appeal the verdict.
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SPECIAL INSPECTOR GENERAL I AFGHANISTAN RECONSTRUCTION