Former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, in a statement posted on Twitter, said: “It is with deep and profound regret that my own chapter ended in similar tragedy to my predecessors — without ensuring stability and prosperity. I apologise to the Afghan people that I could not make it end differently.”
“Leaving Kabul was the most difficult decision of my life, but I believed it was the only way to keep the guns silent and save Kabul and her six million citizens,” said Ghani.
“If I stayed, there was a risk of the same horrific street-to-street fighting the city had suffered during the Civil War of the 1990s.”
Refuting the allegations that Ghani had fled the country with four cars and a helicopter full of cash, he said, “These charges are completely and categorically false.”
“Corruption is a plague that has crippled our country for decades, and fighting corruption has been a central focus of my efforts as president,” he said, adding that he and his Lebanese-born wife were “scrupulous in our personal finances”.
“I have publically declared all my assets. My wife’s family inheritance has also been disclosed and remains listed in her home country of Lebanon,” said Ghani.
“I welcome an official audit or financial investigation under United Nations (UN) auspices or any other appropriate independent body to prove the veracity of my statement,” added Ghani.
He appreciated the sacrifices the Afghans had made over the past 40 years of war in their country.
