Afghanistan Central Bank Chief Flees Amid Battle Over Corruption

Afghanistan’s central bank governor, Abdul Qadir Fitrat, fled to the United States amid government infighting over the collapse last year of the country’s biggest commercial lender.

A spokesman for President Hamid Karzai said Fitrat had left for the U.S. to avoid official scrutiny of his role in the failure of Kabul Bank. Fitrat said in interviews with the Financial Times and Afghanistan’s Ariana Television that he flew to Washington after receiving threats over his calls for the prosecution of those responsible for the bank’s losses.