Taliban Minister of Justice Defies Court Rulings and Even the Taliban Leader’s Orders.
A number of traders, landowners, and market proprietors have accused Abdul Hakim Sharaei, the Taliban Minister of Justice, of managing a network of extortion and illegal confiscation of properties under the pretext of “reclaiming usurped land.”
Recent documents show that the “Chami” commercial market in Khost Province—despite having official registration documents and a consistent tax payment record—was confiscated by the direct order of the Minister of Justice, and its revenue transferred to a bank account established by Sharaei’s personal directive.
Complainants describe this action as “open land grabbing stamped with the seal of the Ministry of Justice.”
According to available documents, in 1402 (Afghan calendar), shopkeepers in the market were officially instructed to stop paying rent and advance payments to the legal owner and instead deposit all funds into the account designated by the Taliban Ministry of Justice.
This occurred despite the Taliban municipality in Khost having formally confirmed the market’s legal status and the existence of all banking and tax records.
Nevertheless, when the market owner approached the Ministry of Justice with an official letter from Mullah Hibatullah’s office and a stamped ruling from the Special Court for the Reclamation of Usurped Lands, the documents were rejected, and he was explicitly threatened with imprisonment should he continue pursuing the case.
This pattern is not limited to Khost. Reports indicate that several Kabul residents—particularly traders and property owners in District Six—have filed similar complaints against the Taliban Minister of Justice, all of which have gone unresolved.
Complainants state that the Minister of Justice has placed himself above courts and laws and has even ignored rulings issued in the name of Mullah Hibatullah.
In their view, what is occurring under the label of “land reclamation” has in practice become a tool for pressure, extortion, and the transfer of massive revenues into accounts controlled by the Taliban Ministry of Justice.
