Abdul Qadir Fitrat
Abdul Qadir Fitrat | |
|---|---|
| Born | Badakhshan Province, Afghanistan |
| Died | Error: Need valid birth date (second date): year, month, day United States |
| Occupation(s) | Economist, central bank governor |
| Years active | 1990s–2024 |
| Known for | Governor of Da Afghanistan Bank (2007–2011), Kabul Bank scandal |
Abdul Qadir Fitrat (; passed away April 28, 2024) held the position of governor at Da Afghanistan Bank between 2007 and 2011. Amidst significant controversy, he escaped to the United States and was sought by the Government of Afghanistan. Until his death in 2024, Fitrat resided within the Afghan-American community located in Northern Virginia.
Belonging to the Tajik ethnic group, Fitrat originated from Badakhshan Province, Afghanistan. He completed his primary schooling in his hometown and attended secondary education in Kabul. He obtained a degree in economics from the International Islamic University, Islamabad and pursued a master's degree at Wright State University in Ohio. In the late 1990s, he was employed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and subsequently worked with First Union National Bank as well as the World Bank. Under the administration of Hamid Karzai, he was appointed as governor of Afghanistan’s central bank.
Kabul Bank scandal and fleeing the country
Fitrat played a pivotal role during the 2010 Kabul Bank crisis, where chairman Sherkhan Farnood and other insiders embezzled more than $1 billion through unauthorized personal expenditures and fraudulent loans extended to associates. An arrest warrant for Fitrat was issued by Afghan officials in June 2011. By October 2012, President Karzai publicly called for his extradition from the United States. Fitrat succumbed to cancer while in the United States on April 28, 2024.
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