CIA Cash to Karzai Said to Fit Afghan Patronage System
By David Lerman and John Walcott - Apr 29, 2013
Afghan President Hamid Karzai won’t be hurt by revelations that the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency has funneled millions of dollars to his office because such dealings are expected in a society steeped in patronage, according to two former CIA officers.
The agency regularly delivered tens of millions of dollars over a decade to Karzai’s office in suitcases, backpacks and shopping bags, according to a New York Times report that cited current and former advisers to the Afghan president.
Karzai acknowledged receiving money from the agency during a news conference in Helsinki, Finland yesterday. He called the money a “small amount” that was used for health care and other basic needs. The CIA declined to comment on the report.
Such undercover payments are hardly new in Afghanistan, which depends on an extensive patronage system to deliver resources, said Reuel Gerecht, a former CIA officer who specialized in Iran and the Middle East.
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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-30/cia-cash-to-karzai-said-to-fit-afghan-patronage-system.html
