A senior official in the Ministry of Interior of Afghanistan has been arrested on embezzlement charges involving around one million Afghanis.

AVA- Sources privy of the development said the head of the Cooperatives Department of the Ministry of Interior was held by the security forces of the Anti-Corruption Justice Center.

This comes as the Afghan government has stepped up efforts to efforts to root out corruption from the key government institutions in line with the commitments the government has made to the international community.

Last year, four former senior officials of the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing of Afghanistan were jailed and fined over the embezzlement of more than one billion Afghanis while they were serving in the ministry.

The ex-officials, apart from one missing, were tried by the Appellate court of the special tribunal, Afghanistan Anti-Corruption Justice Center today.

According to the verdict of the appellate court, Ahmad Nawaz was jailed for seven years on misuse of authority in at least six stances along with Mohammad Yaqoob with a total fine of 44,360,442 Afghanis.

The verdict against Mohammad Yaqoob was announced in his absence as he still missing since the arrest warrants of the four officials were issued over the embezzlement of the state funds.

The court also announced jail terms 20 years for each of the two convicts, Amin Qani and Syed Aman, on charges of misuse of authority and embezzlement in at least 24 stances.

The two former senior officials were also awarded a total fine of 56,822,720 Afghanis.