Lawmakers on Wednesday criticized the spending of Code 91 funds by the circle close to the Presidential Palace and called it an insult to the rights of the poor in the country. 
 
A report published by Etilaatroz newspaper states that over Afs2 billion ($25.9 million) from the government's emergency fund known as Code 91 has been spent for the personal expenses of over a dozen government officials in the solar year 1398 (March 2019 to March 2020). 
 
The report shows that over Afs129 million ($1.6 million) has been spent for house rent, vehicle rent, daily expenses, bonuses for employees, apartment purchases, and travel expenses for 15 government officials and their staff. 
 
According to the report, presidential adviser Waheed Omer has received over Afs30 million ($392,000), presidential envoy Umer Daudzai has received Afs13,561,000 ($175,000), presidential adviser Fazl Mahmoud Fazli has received Afs12,912,624 ($167,000) and presidential adviser Mohammad Afzal Ludin has received Afs11,582,455 ($150,000).

The report also shows that former president Hamid Karzai has received Afs11,700,000 ($151,000) from the code. 

The Presidential Palace has rejected the findings of the report. 

MPs said that the code has changed into a “source of corruption” in the government.

“The treasury of the people is looted but audit and anti-corruption institutions are staying calm,” the Wolesi Jirga Speaker Mir Rahman Rahmani said. 

“The leadership of the activities has been given to some thieves and frauds and have been allowed to embezzle,” said Nahid Farid, an MP from Herat.

Other lawmakers said that the code—that is an emergency budgetary unit—should be used in emergency cases, but it has been used by some “individuals and their families.”

“Those who are looting to this extent have armored vehicles and beautiful houses,” said Simin Barikzai, an MP.

“Code 91 is a national treason code not a code that is for national interests,” said Belqis Roshan, an MP.

Presidential spokesman Sediq Sediqqi on Monday rejected the findings of the report. Previously, he called the Presidential Palace a center for fighting corruption.

“His claim is not true. For instance, they said that they are the findings of the newspaper while they all are the findings of the Afghan government that are transparently shared with the parliament and other institutions,” Sediqqi said.

Also today,  lawmakers, with a majority vote, rejected the plan of the Ministry of Education to shift primary school classes to mosques.