Getting your player ready...
KABUL — The Afghan minister of mines accepted a roughly $30 million bribe to award the country’s largest development project to a Chinese mining firm, according to a U.S. official who is familiar with military intelligence reports.
The allegation, if proved true, would mark one of the most brazen examples of corruption yet disclosed in a country where the problem has become so pervasive that it is now at the heart of Obama administration doubts over Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s reliability as a partner.
Although he announced a new anti-corruption unit this week, Karzai has been reluctant to fire scandal-tainted ministers, and it is unclear whether he is ready to do so now.
