Izzatullah Wasifi
Encyclopedia
Izzatullah Wasifi (b. July 15, 1958) is the chief of Afghanistan
's General Independent Administration of Anti Corruption. He was appointed to this position in January 2007.
As anti-corruption chief Wasifi leads an eighty-four person staff. Part of their responsibility is addressing Afghanistan's problems with opium
.
.
His father, Azizullah Wasifi, was the Minister of Agriculture under former king Mohammed Zahir Shah
.
Wasifi earned a degree from the Punjab Agricultural University
.
Hamid Karzai's brother gave him hist first job as a waiter in a hotel he owned in Maryland
.
prison after a drug conviction in Las Vegas
, Nevada
in 1987.
Wasifi acknowledged the conviction, but disputed the circumstances.
According to the Associated Press
a: "...review of criminal records in Nevada and California
revealed that the 48-year-old Wasifi was arrested at Caesars Palace
on July 15, 1987, for selling 650 grams (23 ounces) of heroin."
The Associated Press reported that he had tried to sell 650 grams of heroin to and undercover detective for $65,000.
The drugs had a street value of US$2 million.
His ex-wife, Fereshteh Behbahani, who now lives in Los Angeles
, California
was sentenced to three years' probation.
Wasifi acknowledged that he was arrested on July 15, 1987, his 29th birthday.
According to his account he and his wife were on their honeymoon. According to his account his wife had purchased some cocaine
in the hotel bar—an amount for personal use, and the pair were arrested when she returned to their hotel room.
Wasifi suggested that his drug use was a youthful indiscretion that should mar his later political career than the youthful drug use of United States President George W. Bush
.
The appeal Wasifi filed with the Parole Board
offered a third account.
In his appeal American drug enforcement officials agreed to release Wasif and Behbahani, without charge, if they lead them to higher-level drug dealers. USA Today
reported:
Wasifi told his Parole Board he could not find his original dealer and that he: "...did not know anyone in the drug underworld." He told his Parole Board he was unaware that he had been indicted in September 1987, two months after his initial arrest and release, and had not been attempting to flee when they were arrested for "unlawful flight" in March 1988.
Wasifi and Behbahani were arrested for "unlawful flight".
.
Accounts from Western officials generally agree that his leadership was ineffective. He made no real efforts to control Afghanistan's poppy harvest in his province.
The appointment raised some controversy, because of the twenty year old US drug conviction.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
's General Independent Administration of Anti Corruption. He was appointed to this position in January 2007.
As anti-corruption chief Wasifi leads an eighty-four person staff. Part of their responsibility is addressing Afghanistan's problems with opium
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
.
Early life
Wasifi is reported to have been a childhood friend of the current Afghan President, Hamid KarzaiHamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai, GCMG is the 12th and current President of Afghanistan, taking office on 7 December 2004. He became a dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001...
.
His father, Azizullah Wasifi, was the Minister of Agriculture under former king Mohammed Zahir Shah
Mohammed Zahir Shah
Mohammed Zahir Shah was the last King of Afghanistan, reigning for four decades, from 1933 until he was ousted by a coup in 1973...
.
Wasifi earned a degree from the Punjab Agricultural University
Punjab Agricultural University
The Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana, Punjab is one of the State Agricultural Universities in India. It was established in 1962 and is the nation's oldest agricultural university in India, after Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar. It has an...
.
Life in the United States
Wasifi's family left Afghanistan after the Soviet invasion in 1979.Hamid Karzai's brother gave him hist first job as a waiter in a hotel he owned in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
.
Drug conviction
Wasifi served three years and eight months in a U.S.United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
prison after a drug conviction in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
in 1987.
Wasifi acknowledged the conviction, but disputed the circumstances.
According to the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
a: "...review of criminal records in Nevada and California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
revealed that the 48-year-old Wasifi was arrested at Caesars Palace
Caesars Palace
Caesars Palace is a luxury hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, an unincorporated township in Clark County, Nevada, United States in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. Caesars Palace is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment Corp....
on July 15, 1987, for selling 650 grams (23 ounces) of heroin."
The Associated Press reported that he had tried to sell 650 grams of heroin to and undercover detective for $65,000.
The drugs had a street value of US$2 million.
His ex-wife, Fereshteh Behbahani, who now lives in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
was sentenced to three years' probation.
Wasifi acknowledged that he was arrested on July 15, 1987, his 29th birthday.
According to his account he and his wife were on their honeymoon. According to his account his wife had purchased some cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
in the hotel bar—an amount for personal use, and the pair were arrested when she returned to their hotel room.
Wasifi suggested that his drug use was a youthful indiscretion that should mar his later political career than the youthful drug use of United States President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
.
The appeal Wasifi filed with the Parole Board
Parole Board
A parole board is a panel of people who decide whether an offender should be released from prison on parole after serving at least a minimum portion of their sentence as prescribed by the sentencing judge. Parole boards are used in many jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom and the United...
offered a third account.
In his appeal American drug enforcement officials agreed to release Wasif and Behbahani, without charge, if they lead them to higher-level drug dealers. USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
reported:
Wasifi told his Parole Board he could not find his original dealer and that he: "...did not know anyone in the drug underworld." He told his Parole Board he was unaware that he had been indicted in September 1987, two months after his initial arrest and release, and had not been attempting to flee when they were arrested for "unlawful flight" in March 1988.
Wasifi and Behbahani were arrested for "unlawful flight".
Pizza Franchise owner
Between 1994 and 1999 Wasifi and his brother Bashir owned a franchise of Ameci Pizza & Pasta.Governor of Farah Province
Karzai appointed Wasifi the Governor of Farah ProvinceFarah Province
Farah is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the southwest of the country. Its capital is Farah. Farah is a spacious and sparsely populated province that lies on the Iranian border...
.
Accounts from Western officials generally agree that his leadership was ineffective. He made no real efforts to control Afghanistan's poppy harvest in his province.
Appointment to head the General Independent Administration of Anti Corruption
Karzai appointed Wasifi to head the General Independent Administration of Anti Corruption in March 2007.The appointment raised some controversy, because of the twenty year old US drug conviction.