Top Prosecutor Targets Afghanistan's Once-Untouchable Bosses

Despite his determined demeanor and flair for publicity, Sabit admitted he may not be a match for such regional bosses.

"I did not anticipate how much resistance there would be from warlords to the rule of law," he said. "Now I see how powerful they are. The president is trying to bring justice, but we cannot do this alone. We need the international community to get these warlords out of our way."

Even in the capital, Sabit has encountered problems trying to pursue well-connected individuals. One case involves the community of Sherpur, where police bulldozed squatters' huts in 2004 to make way for ornate new mansions now occupied by some of Kabul's most powerful residents. According to Sabit, most of the new residents never paid the government a penny for the land, and so far he has been unable to force them to do so.

Some officials are so accustomed to flouting the law that they walk into Sabit's office expecting him to back off. One day last week, he said, two uniformed military officers came to demand that he release another officer who he said had been caught stealing military equipment.

"They were trying to pressure me. I got really angry and threw them out," Sabit said with indignant satisfaction.

Ahmad Behzad, a legislator from Herat, said many residents were delighted to see the new prosecutor target corruption in a region where public revenue has long been pocketed by local authorities. But he also said the problem was so old and deep that it would take sustained efforts to successfully prosecute.

"I agree with what he is doing, but will he take time to get to the roots or just put a few people in prison?" asked Behzad. "Will he have enough power to make a real difference, to get to the senior people behind the corruption? We are all waiting to see."

Whatever becomes of Sabit's high-profile crusades, he has already made a difference to hundreds of modest Afghans whose legal grievances have gone unheard, sometimes for years, because their adversaries or abusers were simply more powerful. Now, at least someone is listening.

"I have been to so many offices and no one ever helped me before, because I don't know anyone," said a poorly dressed widow in Sabit's waiting room last week, carrying a sheaf of old documents that she said proved she owned a certain piece of land. After a five-minute audience, Sabit ordered an assistant to look into her claim, and the widow wept in gratitude as she left.

Later, another woman asked to speak with him privately. They went into a side room, and she described how a security official in her province was kidnapping and molesting children. Sabit promised to do what he could and asked a clerk to show her out.

"She's scared," the prosecutor said grimly. "This man is a warlord and he is being protected by powerful people." He stared for a moment and stroked his beard. "I think I'll go there next."