How Many Millions in U.S. Cash Did Fleeing Afghan Officials Steal?
The final report of a one year U.S. investigation leaves open as many questions as it provides answers
In today’s Forbes I wrote “How Much U.S. Money Did Departing Afghan Officials Steal? How Much Cash Fits On A Helicopter?”
It is about how much cash, much of it U.S. taxpayer aid money, might have ended up on the four VIP helicopters on which President Ghani and his entourage fled Afghanistan the day before the Taliban entered Kabul.
The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has investigated for nearly a year the many reports of tens of millions in stolen cash that disappeared during the chaotic days when the U.S. backed government collapsed. SIGAR’s final report, “Theft of Funds from Afghanistan: An Assessment of Allegations Concerning President Ghani and Former Senior Afghan Officials,” was released yesterday. The estimates for what was taken range from $500,000 to $169 million. The largest amount would weigh nearly two tons and take up a 7x3x3 foot pack on a helicopter.
The damning and sometimes unsatisfying conclusions from SIGAR were lost in a news cycle dominated by the FBI raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence. For my Substack subscribers who want more than just the Forbes article, attached is the 36-page SIGAR report. It is infuriating and frustrating that no one will seemingly be held responsible for what happened.
