Only Mr Rabbani, an icon of the Northern Alliance, stayed inside Mr Karzai's tent, with a thuggish vice-president, Mohammad Qasim Fahim, another Tajik.

ECONOMIST: An assassination in Afghanistan

Notably absent from the list were some of the highest-profile names attached to the bank, such as shareholders Mahmoud Karzai, one of the Afghan president's brothers, and Hassan Fahim, a brother of the country's first Vice President Mohammad Qasim Fahim.

NPR: Afghan Court Slaps Prison Time On Kabul Bank Execs

Karzai further angered U.S. officials this week when he named Mohammad Qasim Fahim, a powerful warlord accused of violating human rights, as his vice presidential running mate, despite warnings from Secretary of State Clinton that Fahim would be a polarizing choice.

CNN: Obama faces test on Afghanistan, Pakistan