KABUL - The Attorney-General Office (AGO) on Tuesday announced putting five Wolesi Jirga (WJ) members on the Exit Control List for their alleged involvement in corruption and misuse of their positions.

MPs Haji Zahir Qadeer, Samiullah Samim, Mohammad Arif Rahmani, Mohammad Azim Mohseni and Mahmood Khan Sulaimankhel were placed on ECL weeks after Finance Minister Omar Zakhilwal accused them of smuggling and making illegal demands on the government.

AGO spokesman Basir Aziz told a press conference in Kabul that the action against the parliamentarians had been taken after they disregarded orders to appear before prosecutors to clear their names.

The deadline for the six legislators whom Zakhelwal had blamed for graft expired on Monday. Only one of them -- Lalai Hamidzai -- appeared before prosecutors. He rejected as groundless the allegations and escaped the punitive measure as a result.

Aziz said a delegation of senior officials had been appointed to further investigate the case and the findings would be announced shortly.

But Latif Pidram, a member of the parliamentary commission probing the charges against the members, told Pajhwok Afghan News the finance minister had thrice been requested to provide documents in support of his charges.

"So far, neither the finance ministry nor the AGO has given us any documents that substantiate the allegations," Pidram said. The Wolesi Jirga has decided to consider the six public representatives innocent if the Ministry of Finance does not provide documentary evidence by Wednesday (June 15). (Pajhwok)