Afghanistan opens probe into sexual favour allegations

Afghanistan's attorney general opened an investigation Tuesday into allegations that some members of President Ashraf Ghani's administration are trading government positions for sexual favours.

The accusations made last week by General Habibullah Ahmadzai, a former security advisor to Ghani, have sparked an outcry in Kabul. Many have taken to social media to demand a probe.

In a statement, the attorney general's office vowed to investigate allegations "in a serious, fair, neutral and independent way".

Investigators have already asked Ahmadzai to deliver by Thursday any evidence he may have to support his claims, which he first made in a televised interview last week.

Without providing any evidence, he levelled several corruption claims and said "circles" inside the Afghan presidential palace were asking women for sexual favours -- offering coveted government seats in return.

"People were working systematically to promote adultery in the palace," he claimed.

The allegations from ...