Chief of Afghan central bank flees to US: Reports

WASHINGTON: The US State Department on Monday confirmed that the chairman of the Central Bank of Afghanistan was in Washington, amid media reports that he had resigned.

"We do know that he is in Washington," said Victoria Nuland, the US State Department spokeswoman.

"If there were to be a change of leadership at the Afghan Central Bank, we would continue to encourage that government to take all the necessary steps to reform and strengthen the financial sector," she said.

Nuland said she had no information about whether the central bank chairman, Abdul Qadir Fitrat, had asked for asylum.

According to the New York Times, the banker announced his resignation on Monday during an interview with Afghan media.

The newspaper said his resignation was prompted by fears of political interference and reprisals in his investigation of the near collapse of the Kabul Bank, the country's largest private bank.

The Kabul bank allegedly was engaged in years of fraud involving well-connected shareholders, including the brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai.