Many members of Afghanistan’s last government fled the country in the years leading up to the fall of Kabul and are now living in luxury, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.
Many of the former officials bought expensive homes in the U.S. worth millions of dollars, according to the WSJ, which reviewed property records. The officials fled their country as the Afghan people became subject to Taliban rule and Afghanistan’s economy fell into shambles.
Afghanistan’s former finance minister Eklil Hakimi purchased about 10 properties in California from when he was in office to after he left Afghanistan in 2018, according to the WSJ. Eight of the properties were transferred to a company called Zala Group in Hakimi’s wife’s name, one of which is worth $2.5 million, making the 10 properties worth over $10 million.
Afghanistan’s most recent finance minister, Khalid Payenda, owns two properties close to Washington, D.C. worth more than $1 million, one of which was purchased in cash, according to the WSJ.
“Having a house [that has a mortgage] and a rental do not necessarily mean you do not run into cash-flow problems,” Payenda told the WSJ, adding that he drove for Uber when he first came to the U.S.
The country’s former president Ashraf Ghani fled the country as the Taliban began taking control of Kabul. Ghani reportedly left the country in a helicopter he loaded with cash, according to the WSJ.
The country’s former national security adviser Hamdullah Mohib fled with Ghani and later moved to a home in Florida that’s owned by his mother-in-law, according to the WSJ.
“Since the fall of Kabul, a lot of rumors are flying around. I am personally disturbed by it,” Mohib said, according to the WSJ, adding he “made financial sacrifices to work for the government.”
Other former members of Afghanistan’s government have fled and obtained luxury real estate in countries like Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, according to the WSJ.
None of the former Afghan officials mentioned this story immediately responded to The Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment, while Mohib couldn’t be reached for comment.
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org
Republican Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana clapped back at pro-Palestinian protesters during a Wednesday speech…
A watchdog group filed a lawsuit against the Air Force on Wednesday for allegedly withholding…
The Republican-controlled House of Representatives last Saturday voted 311 to 112 to approve a bill…
The Biden administration finalized a rule Wednesday that bans the use of natural gas in…
The White House announced Wednesday that it is aiming to decarbonize a key sector of…
The whole “net-zero by 2050” narrative that cranked up in earnest in early 2021 has…