Hotel Serena Kabul has been seized by a Taliban financier disguised as a German investor. Cinderella Group International, once known as Cinderella Construction Company (CCC), was supposedly registered in Afghanistan back in 2008 by an obscure figure named Aaron Azim. It now controls Hotel Serena Kabul and has changed its name to something else. Over the span of 20 years, this cloudy Cindrella claims to have secured contracts valued between $90 million to $100 million, which means an average of $4.5 to $5 million each year from organizations like the United Nations and the United States Army Corps of Engineers during the Republic era. These figures and the existence of these contracts are subjects that require further scrutiny and verification for accuracy. The Afghan Investment Support Agency (AISA) has no record of CCC as a major contractor in its records. AISA was a well managed and internationally backed agency of high reputation. The CCC's ties with the Taliban go back to the Republic era. It needs to be investigated how CCC bribed the Taliban or possibly funded their terrorist activities to ensure safety for its staff during that time. It also has to be investigated if the company helped the Taliban with money laundering during the Republic era and after. Its so-called international operations remain mysterious and suspicious. The involvement of CCC in projects such as the construction of the Khaf-Herat road is also dark and unexplained. There is no record of bidding, however, there are loads of circumstantial evidence suggesting that the company used its secret ties with Taliban commanders and one member of the negotiating team in Doha to secure the contract. There are also mentions of CCC having operational offices in international cities like Dubai, Turkey, and Germany, suggesting a broad network. Investigators collaborating with Afghanistan Green Trend (AGT) were unable to find these offices. The circumstances under which CCC managed to bribe the Taliban to evict the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) and seize the Serena Hotel remain unclear. How come a single bidder manage to evict an institution of international fame from its signature and high profile investment ? Dark deals, money laundring, bibery and terrorist ties are matters to be looked into. The Cinderella Construction Company (CCC) is, in reality, an Afghan-owned enterprise, but the Taliban are inflating the company's German affiliations to bolster their propaganda narratives. Only two German nationals work in this company. The Aga Khan Foundation was the last dignified foreign investor to exit Afghanistan casts further doubt on the economic, political, and security landscape under Taliban militia governance. The CCC's mystrious assets are reported to be valued at over $15 million within Afghanistan, which is likely a falsehood, coupled with additional equity holdings amounting to $25 million, which remain unverified. These financial claims, alongside the company's proclaimed dedication to global operations and high standards of professionalim lack independent verification to establish their veracity. If you plan to stay in Cindrella hotel, think twice. https://x.com/agtafghanistan/status/1889519517342331212?s=48