Taliban Ministry of Mines Contracts Incurred 14.5 Billion Afgani Losses Due to Violations, Documents Indicate

Documents obtained by Afghanistan International reveal serious financial and administrative violations in six mining contracts during Shahabuddin Dilawar's tenure as Taliban Minister of Mines and Petroleum, resulting in losses of 14 billion 527 million Afghanis based on contract values and 114 million 334 thousand 171 Afghanis from actual extraction to date.

The violations included low royalty rates, incorrect price calculations, non-banking revenue collection, and breaches of bidding principles. In some projects, companies that proposed higher bids later received extraction licenses at lower rates. Payments were made in dollars for domestic contracts, which required afghanis. Specific discrepancies were identified in payments by Bahir Marble and Khalid Momand companies, totaling 181 million 801 thousand 635 Afghanis, due to mismatches between reported payments and official records.

These contracts were issued without technical evaluations or market studies, often through limited tenders lacking transparency. The Vice Presidency of Audit under the Taliban's Supreme Leadership reviewed the cases based on Hibatullah Akhundzada's orders and standards proposed by the international INTOSAI body.

Economic expert Mazmel Shinwari stated that mines are extracted without precise figures published, with revenues directed to Hibatullah's budget office in Kandahar. He warned that unprofessional extraction of resources like oil and gold could damage natural assets. The Taliban Ministry of Mines and Petroleum does not disclose contract details or actual extraction volumes, potentially enabling administrative corruption.

Transparency International's 2025 report ranked Afghanistan under Taliban control among the world's most corrupt nations, dropping one position from 2024.