Tolo11/19/2012By Saleha Soadat [Printer Friendly Version] Afghan National Army and National Police officials are abusing their professional privileges and using government property for personal use, lawmakers said on Saturday. Parliamentarians said the use of army or police vehicles on vacation days and for family recreation is illegal and needs to be stopped. "We saw lots of families in the vacation days like Eid using police vehicles – that is against law," Herat MP Naheed Farid said. Khost MP Kamal Naser Osolee said some officials are also allowing their children to use the government property. "High officials of the Interior and Defense Ministries are using governmental vehicles for their personal purposes and give the vehicles to their sons," he said. They also added that these security officials drive too fast, ignoring traffic laws, by using their privilege. "We repeatedly have seen that in recreational places in Kabul and in the provinces, the people who are going to a picnic use police cars and the sirens," MP Mohammad Reza Khoshak Watandost said. The Ministry of Defense responded to the claims saying says any official found to be doing these things will face prosecution. "Some trafficking disorders exist in the city and we hope to solve them in near future. Whoever makes disorder with their car will be stopped," Defense Ministry spokesman Gen Mohammad Zaher Azimi said. The Interior Ministry said the actions are a clear violation of the law and the ministry will more closely supervise the issue, Head of Criminal Investigation Department of Kabul Police Mohammad Zaher said. Parliamentarians said that if the abuses continue, it will increase security challenges.
