Afghan Official Says Detention of Two Health Ministry Workers Illegal

Text of report by Afghan independent Tolo TV on 1 July

[Presenter] The General Prosecution Department has not presented acceptable evidence to the Public Health Ministry in regard with the detention of two employees of the ministry.

Abdollah Fahim, advisor of the Public Health Ministry, says holding the ministry’s two workers for more than 70 hours in detention is violation of the law.

Abdollah Fahim said he did not know about the resignation of the minister of public health.

[Correspondent] There have been reports that the minister of public health, his deputies, and more than 30 senior officials of departments of the ministry presented their resignations to the president on Thursday [28 June]

[Abdollah Fahim] When there are donations to the ministry why, instead of being awarded, like a one-way road, you face threats and problems? For example, the head of a public health department is detained, and then after four or five months he is cleared of all charges. They then simply apologize and say that he was innocent. After all, this has negative impact on the activities of the Ministry of Public Health. The Public Health Ministry has been practically paralysed over the past month.

[Correspondent] Abdollah Fahim says the ministry has several times asked the General Prosecution Department to release the two employees on bail, but the attorney-general rejected the demand.

The prosecutor in charge of the case says the appeal for conditional release of those suspected of embezzlement and a crime is not legally acceptable.

[Nasir Ahmad Sherzad, prosecutor in charge of the case] Bail is not acceptable in criminal cases. It is a case of embezzlement and abuse of office. We cannot accept bail in this case, because it is violation of the law.

[Correspondent] Mr Sherzad says a prosecutor can keep suspects under detention for 15 days. He says the cases of the two Public Health Ministry workers was handed over to the General Prosecution Department two days ago.

(c) 2007 BBC Monitoring South Asia. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.