US Afghanistan watchdog looks into IRD confidentiality agreements

The U.S. government’s Afghanistan watchdog has opened an inquiry into International Relief and Development’s alleged abuse of staff confidentiality agreements, and suggested the U.S. Agency for International Development take steps to ensure implementing partner employees are not barred from speaking to government officials.

After the issue was reported on Sunday in a Washington Post feature, Special Investigator General for Afghanistan Reconstruction John Sopko sent on Monday a letter to IRD President and CEO Arthur Keys. The letter explains SIGAR will look into the organization’s alleged policy of attempting “to use confidentiality agreements as a way of prohibiting its employees from making critical statements about IRD to ‘funding agencies’ or ‘officials of any government’.”

“I am well aware of the courage it takes for employees of government contractors to report waste, fraud, and abuse of government funds,” wrote Sopko. “The threat of retaliation for reporting problems to oversight agencies is all too real. I am simply not willing to tolerate an attempt to institutionalize employee intimidation. Therefore, I am initiating an inquiry into these allegations.”