Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction
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SIGAR Audit Shows Afghan National Police Payroll Costs, Force Size -Despite Improvements, Lax Recordkeeping Opens Potential for Fraud, Ghost Employees- Arlington, Va. - The Office of Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction today released an audit showing that Afghan National Police payroll costs and force size cannot be fully verified due to unreliable Ministry of Interior recordkeeping. SIGAR noted that the ministry continues to make progress toward automating the payroll and payment processes. Despite this, SIGAR found little assurance that payments are made only to eligible Afghan National Police personnel, and little assurance international funds are used only to reimburse eligible police payroll and other costs. SIGAR's report makes several recommendations to improve Afghan National Police accountability. "Building an Afghan National Police force capable of enforcing the rule of law and protecting the Afghan people is vital to U.S. strategy in the region, including transfer of security responsibility to the Afghan government by the end of 2014," said Herbert Richardson, acting Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction. "Accurate recordkeeping is crucial to the success of this effort. There has been some progress. But until adequate systems and controls are in place, there will continue to be significant risk of fraud, waste and abuse of international funds intended to support the Afghan National Police." Background: Since 2002, the United States and other international donors have contributed roughly $1.5 billion to the Law and Order Trust Fund, established primarily to cover Afghan National Police payroll costs. The United States has contributed more than $545 million to this fund, administered by the United Nations Development Programme. Current Afghan Ministry of Interior plans call for increasing the Afghan National Police force to 134,000 by October, up from 81,509 in May 2009. SIGAR's audit assessed whether the Ministry of Interior's personnel systems accurately account for the Afghan National Police workforce; whether the payroll system accurately accounts for Afghan National Police payroll; and whether personnel and payroll systems being developed will support the Afghan National Police and be sustainable. Key findings:
SIGAR makes five recommendations intended to:
The audit report, including SIGAR's recommendations and responses from the U.S. Embassy and the Commanding General of NTM-A/CSTC-A, may be found on the SIGAR website in http://www.sigar.mil/. |
SPECIAL INSPECTOR GENERAL FOR AFGHANISTAN RECONSTRUCTION2530 Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA 22202 |
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