U.S.-India cooperation helps fight corruption in Afghanistan

October 15, 2010

New Delhi: On October 13, 2010, Delhi Police officers detained on bribery charges a senior construction manager for an intergovernmental organization working in Afghanistan. Delhi officials worked closely with the Indian Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) leading up to the arrest, which was made at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport.

Australian citizen Neil P. Campbell, 60, was indicted August 19, 2010 by a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C. on the charge of receiving a bribe as an agent of an organization receiving federal funds. According to the indictment, Campbell worked for the International Organization on Migration (IOM), which since 2002 has received more than $260 million in funding from USAID. IOM has worked closely with both the U.S. and Afghanistan governments to construct hospitals, schools and other facilities. A provisional arrest warrant for the purpose of extradition and an Interpol Red Corner Notice (RCN) were also issued against Campbell.

The indictment alleges that from on or about May 25, 2010, until on or about Aug. 5, 2010, in Afghanistan, Campbell solicited a bribe for awarding sub-contracts funded by USAID. According to the allegations, Campbell solicited a one-time cash payment of $190,000 to allow a sub-contractor in Afghanistan to continue working on projects to build a hospital and provincial teaching college.

Campbell is facing extradition from India to the United States to answer this charge. The maximum penalty on the charge is 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Under U.S. federal sentencing guidelines, the likely prison term for the offense is in the range of 41 to 51 months.

A federal indictment in the United Sates is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.

The arrest is yet another example of how the growing U.S.-India partnership can have immediate and critical results. The United States is committed to working with its law enforcement partners in India and throughout the region to fight transnational crime and eliminate the scourge of corruption.

This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office in the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Fraud Section. Substantial assistance was provided by the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Office of International Affairs, the FBI's international offices in Afghanistan and India, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan, and the Indian CBI and Delhi Police.