Afghan President Hamid Karzai yesterday boosted the power of an anti-corruption body that had faced fierce accusations of being toothless and half-hearted in its battle to wipe out graft.
The High Office of Oversight and Anti-Corruption will now be permitted to investigate allegations of corruption after Karzai publicly signed a decree extending its authority, the president said.
The decree marked "a very major and important step in our efforts at fighting corruption and bribery in our country", Karzai told reporters after signing the document in his palace.
"It gives Mr Osmani and his unit further power. I wish him success," he said, referring to the head of the body, Mohammad Yasin Osmani.