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Helmand’s Owner Under Investigation by Feds

Photo: Helmand

Did you know that Helmand owner Mahmoud Karzai is the brother of Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai? He is, and he’s being investigated by the federal government for corrupt business dealings in Afghanistan, reports the New York Times, taking some time off from their Larry Summers dining beat.

Karzai is apparently one of the most powerful businessmen in Afghanistan but has “been criticized in Afghanistan for taking advantage of his status as the brother of the president to engage in insider dealing in real estate, cement and other industries, and he has angered powerful officials in the Afghan Army by developing a lucrative residential real estate project on thousands of acres of valuable land in Kandahar that the army claims to own.” Karzai is now being electronically surveilled by the U.S. Government, so next time you stop into Helmand, expect a side of political intrigue with your kofta.

Brother of Afghan Leader Is Subject of Wiretapping [NYT via Cantabrigia]

Helmand’s Owner Under Investigation by Feds