An Afghan court has sentenced the mayor of the capital, Kabul, to four years in prison on corruption charges.

Mir Abdul Ahad Sahebi was not in court. His whereabouts are uncertain, but a warrant has been issued for his arrest.

The deputy attorney general, Enayat Kamal, said the charges related to more than $16,000 (£9,800) of public money.

It was the first high-profile graft conviction of President Hamid Karzai's second term. He faces renewed Western pressure to crack down on corruption.

"The court sentenced [Sahebi] to four years in jail, ordered him to return the money he wasted, and fired him from his position," the prosecutor, Mr Kamal, was quoted as saying by AFP news agency.

The case relates to a contract that was awarded without following the proper procedures, prosecution officials told the BBC.

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