Lawmakers in the Wolesi Jirga, Afghanistan’s lower house of parliament, on Thursday blasted the Operation and Support Office of the President for National Development for not providing information regarding its budget and financial transactions to the lawmakers in the parliament.  

The proposed budgetary allocation for the office is 13 billion Afs.

MPs said that the OSOPND was seen giving the development projects to certain companies without undertaking a proper bidding process. But OSOPND responded that it is ready to answer the MPs.  

“The projects that are carried out by the Operation and Support Office of the President for National Development are mostly carried out from a single source and other companies are not allowed to participate,” said Irfanullah Irfan, an MP. 

“The accounts of sectoral ministries are zero, but the Operation and Support Office of the President for National Development has 80 percent of the development budget” said Zabiullah Atiq, MP.  

“It is better that the Operation and Support Office of the President for National Development disclose its spending and clarify where it spends the money. There is a need for transparency in the spending,” said Maiwand Rouhani, an anti-corruption analyst.  

Lawmakers argue that the work of the Operation and Support Office of the President for National Development is duplicating the work of other government entities such as the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing.  

MPs suggested that the Operation and Support Office of the President for National Development shouldn’t be a separate budgetary unit as it is not responsive about its businesses and works.  

But officials from the Operation and Support Office of the President for National Development stated that it has spent 10 billion from the 13 billion Afs during the current fiscal year.  

“In 1399 (2020) 13 billion Afs were allocated for the Operation and Support Office of the President for National Development to cover numerous projects,” said Tafseer Siahposh, a spokesman for the Operation and Support Office of the President for National Development.  

The Operation and Support Office of the President for National Development has worked on a number of projects including the construction of Darul Aman Administrative Complex, Darul Aman Palace, Machalgho Dam, construction of 100 mosques, projects at Pul-e-Charkhi jail, projects at Hamid Karzai International Airports, construction of hostels in 10 provinces and hundreds of other projects.