KABUL, Afghanistan, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- A powerful Afghan governor, accused of corruption, charges the allegations against him are politically motivated, a spokesman said.
Gov. Gul Agha Shirzai, ruler of the large eastern province of Nangarhar, recently announced his intention to run for president in 2014 when Hamid Karzai's term ends, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.
A spokesman for Shirzai said a recent Journal article that accuses the governor of illegally earning millions of dollars is aimed at derailing his presidential aspirations.
"Since the announcement of the date for the presidential election, a number of domestic and foreign media outlets have been trying to denigrate political figures and he Wall Street Journal is one of them," said Shirzai spokesman Ahmad Zia Abdulzai.
A diplomatic cable viewed by the Journal described how Shirzai was allegedly stopped at a German airport in July with three suitcases full of cash. Another cable outline instances of the governor freeing insurgents.
No investigation of Shirzai has been launched, the Afghan government's main anti-corruption arm said.
