Afghanistan asks West to help recover bank fraud cash

KABUL (AFP) - The Afghan government urged Western nations on Wednesday to help recover millions of dollars smuggled abroad in what it called the "largest and most complex financial crime in the history" of the country.

A court in Kabul on Tuesday jailed 20 people, including two senior executives, for their roles in the US$900 million (S$1.2 billion) fraud that caused the collapse of Kabul Bank in 2010.

Cash stolen from the bank through fake loans was used to buy property in Britain, Dubai, Switzerland and the United States, and the finance ministry in Kabul said it was determined to recover the losses.

"With these verdicts we now expect our international partners to assist us in the confiscation and return of the stolen assets that are deposited or invested in different Western countries," it said in a statement.