Mahmood Karzai, also spelled Mahmud Karzai, or Mahmoud Karzai, is an Afghan businessman, CEO and Chairman of the Board for the Afghan Investment Company who is closely tied to the Kabul Bank scandal and other controversies. He is the brother of Ahmed Wali Karzai a figure who was killed by his bodyguard in Afghanistan following various allegations surrounding narcotics, nepotism, corruption and family infighting. He is also the elder brother of the former president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai.
In October 2010, the Washington Post reported that Karzai could soon be indicted for tax evasion in the U.S., by the Internal Revenue Service though he is aware of the investigation, telling the newspaper: "I'm giving any charges", and insisting his only interest is "rebuilding Afghanistan." To date, no charges have been brought against Karzai.
In 2011, investigative reporters reported that Karzai was under review by a U.S. grand jury for alleged racketeering, extortion and tax evasion. He reportedly hired a Washington, D.C.-based criminal defense attorney as a result of the grand jury investigation.
In 2013, Karzai, who has resided in Afghanistan since 2002, renounced his American citizenship to assume a bigger role in Afghan politics. The move was perceived as Mahmood expressing interest in running in the 2014 Presidential Election.
Mahmud Karzai is closely connected to the Kabul Bank scandal and former U.S. Congressman Donald L. Ritter, a conservative, Jewish-American, Republican from Pennsylvania, widely criticized and scrutinized for supporting big business interests allegedly involved with serious environmental degradation, toxic waste, pollution and global warming. Ritter and Mahumud Karzai, closely associated on various controversial efforts and ventures, have been criticized by many policy experts, including investigative reporter Sibel Edmonds, The Boiling Frogs Post newspaper, and other national security experts and whistle blowers, including the National Security Whistleblowers Coalition (NSWBC), for various alleged scandals and controversies. Mahmud Karzai is also the brother of the controversial and assassinated figure Ahmed Wali Karzai who was allegedly killed by one of his bodyguards.