High Office of Oversight and Anti-Corruption

Summary

The High Office of Oversight and Anti-Corruption (HOO) was established in 2008 under the Law on Anti-Corruption of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan as the central anti-corruption coordination and oversight body. It was tasked with leading implementation of Afghanistan's National Anti-Corruption Strategy, receiving and investigating corruption complaints, monitoring asset declarations of public officials, and coordinating with international anti-corruption bodies including UNODC. The HOO Head was appointed by and reported to the President with no fixed term and was removable at will; in practice the body struggled to operate independently of the executive. Despite international support, the HOO faced significant resource and capacity constraints and was widely assessed by donors and watchdog organizations as having limited effectiveness. The HOO was dissolved following the Taliban takeover of Kabul in August 2021; the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has not reconstituted an equivalent anti-corruption institution.