Taliban Rejects Transparency International Report on Corruption in Afghanistan

Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesperson for the Taliban, rejected a recent Transparency International report stating that Afghanistan remains among the world's most corrupt countries. Fitrat claimed that corruption levels in administrations under Taliban control have decreased compared to previous years.

Transparency International's annual Corruption Perceptions Index for 2025 ranked Afghanistan 169th out of 182 countries with a score of 16 out of 100, a drop of one position from the previous year. The Taliban maintains that it has taken "decisive steps" to combat corruption. Fitrat added that organizations conducting such research lack on-the-ground presence in Afghanistan and do not use reliable sources.

Fitrat described the reports as "judgments based on conjecture" and urged research institutions to visit Afghanistan to closely examine the Taliban's performance in eliminating corruption. However, he provided no statistics to demonstrate reduced administrative corruption in Taliban-governed institutions nor detailed specific actions taken to counter it.