Minister demands MOD reviews case of hero interpreter blown up by Taliban after his compensation claim was rejected in proof of address row

Ministers have stepped in to order ‘common sense’ after the Daily Mail revealed how a heroic interpreter blown up by the Taliban was refused compensation when bureaucrats rejected his council tax bill as proof of address. The Mail understands officials in the Ministry of Defence are now urgently reviewing the case of Rafi Hottak, which was highlighted by this newspaper’s Betrayal of the Brave campaign for former Afghan interpreters. The 39-year-old suffered life-changing injuries in November 2007 after being blown up on patrol in Helmand by a Taliban bomb which killed a British officer. The Mail revealed how Mr Hottak, who was given sanctuary in the UK in 2011 and now works as an accountant in the Midlands, had applied for compensation under the government’s Ex-Gratia Medical Payments scheme set up in 2013 to provide support to Afghans injured beside UK troops but he was told that his application was invalid because he had presented a council tax bill, rather than ‘a utility bill’ as proof of his address. Defence chiefs have now told the MoD team responsible for such applications to apply a ‘more reasonable and common sense approach’ to such cases. Mr Hottak’s case is understood to be one of several being reviewed by Luke Pollard, Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry. Heroic interpreter Rafi Hottak with an army nurse helping treat him in a UK field hospital at Camp Bastion after he was blown up by the Taliban in 2007 serving alongside British troops Mr Hottak needed 160 stitches to his wounds sustained in the Taliban bomb which killed a British officer alongside himNews of the Hottak case had sparked anger among fellow translators and support from former members of the military, campaigners and MPs. Ahmad, an ex-translator who was beaten and tortured by the Taliban, said the handling of the case ‘shamed’ the MoD and Britain and called for Defence Secretary Wes Streeting to sort out the mess. He said: ‘It is disgusting that a man who suffered such appalling injuries serving Britain should be turned down for compensation because of a council tax bill.‘This is the kind of thing you see on a comedy show, not in real life…those involved should be ashamed. Do they have any idea of the impact of injuries and trauma on those who were the eyes and ears of Britain beside brave UK troops? ‘Rafi should have his case reviewed and receive the compensation he is due.’ Conservative foreign affairs spokesman Tom Tugendhat, an Afghan veteran, said: ‘This isn’t right. Rafi fought with us, we cannot abandon him now.’ Liberal Democrat MP Mike Martin, another Afghan veteran of multiple tours, said it appeared Mr Hottak had a bona fide case frustrated by ‘computer says no.’ He called for ministers to ‘cut through the morass’ and act on Mr Hottak’s claim urgently. Mr Hottak’s duties had included operations behind enemy lines with the SAS and SBS for which he won praise. Former military interpreter Rafi Hottak helping a Parliamentary committee in 2025 The letter from the Ministry of Defence rejecting Mr Hottak's up-to-date council tax bill as a 'valid utility bill'Mr Hottak said he had been overwhelmed by the messages of support and was hoping for ‘good news’ that his case was being reviewed. ‘I stand ready to provide any evidence that is required,’ he said. ‘I truly thank all those who have helped me highlight my case and those supporting me. ‘I suffer every day of my life from my injuries and the trauma of regular flashbacks to be blown into the air and coming round in the middle of a firefight with blood pumping from me and still having to continue my duties as best I can.’The father-of-four told the Mail how, in his job as a chartered accountant, he often helps clients with banks, solicitors and government bodies who all accept council tax bills as a valid proof of address. In his application to the MOD, Mr Hottak had recalled how, despite being ‘blown up into the air’ by the bomb, and with ‘blood pumping’ from his wounds, he was still required to continue translating for British soldiers who were under intense fire from the Taliban. Asked to provide a utility bill as proof of his address, he sent in his council tax bill, showing his name and address at the top, along with his UK driving licence and British passport.He was astonished to receive a response from the Ministry of Defence (MOD) stating his case would not be considered for compensation because ‘you have not supplied a valid utility bill as proof of your current address. As a result, your claim has been deemed invalid’.Professor Sara de Jong, a founding member of the Sulha Alliance which helps former Afghan interpreters and their families, said the MOD's treatment had 'literally added insult to injury'.The MOD said: 'We remain committed to honouring our promises to eligible Afghans, many of whom worked alongside UK Armed Forces.'The Ex-Gratia Medical Payments scheme (EGMP) was established to support former locally-employed staff in Afghanistan who were injured as a result of their employment with the Government in Afghanistan. Applicants who were found eligible have received a medical payment as a consequence of their injury.'While the scheme has closed to new review requests, we are aware of this case and considering whether it can be resolved.'