Former public health minister Ferozuddin Feroz, his two former deputies Mamosai Zewar and Shafiq Shahim and the public health deputy minister Wahid Majroh have been referred to the Attorney General’s Office on corruption charges, the inspector general’s office said on Monday.

They are charged with misuse of authority and embezzling from the COVID-19 response fund, according to the inspector general’s office.

Feroz reacted to the decision on social media and called it an insult to him and his three deputies. He said the government is seeking to score points for the upcoming Geneva conference with such attempts, and that these three deputies deserve appreciation instead of such treatment.

Majroh said that he is ready for accountability, but he has not been informed by the inspector general so far.

“I don’t know which institution has referred me. I was informed about the issue through Facebook, but what I want to share with my people and the media is that as a son of this soil and as an employee of an Afghan civil organization, I am responsible to the law and the people,” Majroh told TOLOnews on Monday.

The COVID-19 response in Afghanistan has been accompanied by many corruption charges. The embezzlement of relief funds and the selling of ventilators and other medical equipment have occurred alongside the spread of COVID-19.

Feroz, who served as public health minister for almost five years, was removed from his post late in May.