Kathmandu, April 15 (IANS) The Nepal government on Wednesday announced the formation of a commission to investigate the assets of key political office holders and senior bureaucratic officials who have held public office over the past two decades, amid allegations of rampant corruption involving such individuals.

A Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday decided to form a body that will probe the properties of those who have been at the helm of the state since 2006, the year when the second people’s movement toppled the “autocratic” regime of then King Gyanendra Shah.

The Nepali Congress, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) or CPN-UML, and the erstwhile CPN (Maoist Centre) ran the country during that period, and their leaders are facing accusations of amassing wealth by abusing state power.

Former Prime Ministers — Sher Bahadur Deuba, K P Sharma Oli, and Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ — representing these parties, respectively, are currently facing investigation on money laundering charges.

Minister for Education, Science and Technology and the government’s spokesperson Sasmit Pokharel told journalists that the Cabinet decided to form a five-member commission, headed by former Supreme Court justice Rajendra Kumar Bhandari, to collect, verify, and investigate asset details of political and bureaucratic leaders who assumed state power during the period from 2006 to 2026.

The government’s announcement comes in line with the 100-point governance reform agenda published shortly after the formation of the new government led by Prime Minister Balendra Shah. As per the government’s announcement on March 27, the commission will first probe the properties of those who held office from 2006 to 2026, and then those who held office from 1992 to 2006 in the second phase.

Pokharel said that the investigation process would be initiated in an impartial manner based on evidence, and arrangements would be made to implement the commission’s reports and recommendations through the relevant authorities.

The Gen-Z protests in September last year, which brought down the government led by former Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, were aimed at protesting the perceived rampant corruption involving top political leaders. Following the Gen-Z movement, a new government led by Sushila Karki was formed, which facilitated the holding of parliamentary elections on March 5.

Following the elections, the Rastriya Swatantra Party, a relatively new party, emerged as the largest political party with nearly a two-thirds majority. Its senior leader, Balendra Shah, is now the Prime Minister of the country, and his government has initiated a number of measures to tackle corruption.

–IANS

scor/as