Zemarai Paikan, a former commander of the Afghan National Civil Order Police who was sentenced to prison for corruption, has been arrested by security forces early Sunday morning in Kabul, a source said. 

Tariq Arian, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry has confirmed his arrest but did not provide further details. 

Paikan was sentenced to eight years and six months in prison for killing a police officer, misuse of authority, and corruption.  

On December 15, 2019, President Ghani, while speaking at an annual anti-corruption conference at the Presidential Palace ordered Masoud Andarabi, the acting interior minister, to arrest Paikan on charges of corruption. 

“Zemarai Paikan has changed the public protection force into a source of corruption,” Ghani had said: “The arrest of such as person is an order for you, Mr. Interior Minister, and it must be implemented.” 

Ghani added that people like Paikan are “damaging Afghanistan’s name.”