Afghan Planning Minister Mr Mohamed Mohaqeq has attacked the way international aid is being spent in his country.
In an interview with the BBC today, Mr Mohaqeq said large quantities of aid were being misused and channeled through well-connected people outside the control of the government.
He said squabbling within the government meant people who should be in charge of aid distribution were being squeezed out and that aid was going missing before it reached its intended target.
Mr Mohaqeq said although many Afghan government employees were earning less than $50 per month, he knew of people involved in distributing reconstruction aid who were raking off $10,000 to $15,000 per month.
He also pointed to massive overspending on some projects, alleging funds were being wasted on luxury goods. Mr Mohaqeq said the only way to stop this waste was to ensure all aid money came through the government and, in particular, through his ministry.
Donor countries and international groups have committed to giving $1.8 billion in aid to Afghanistan for 2002, and a total of $4.5 billion over five years.
However, Afghan ministers have complained only a fraction of the inter-governmental aid has actually arrived in Afghanistan.
AFP