RSP chair Lamichhane tells CIAA to act if government officials obstruct its work
Summary
Rabi Lamichhane has urged the CIAA to act if government officials obstructed its work, amid allegations that the Prime Minister’s Office pressured anti-graft officials over a passport procurement case. The dispute has triggered scrutiny in Parliament over the independence of the constitutional commission.
Key Points
- Rabi Lamichhane said obstructing the CIAA’s work is an offence and asked the anti-graft body to take action if the government interfered with its investigation.
- Prime Minister Balendra Shah and his secretariat are accused of holding CIAA officials at the Prime Minister’s Office for seven hours and pressuring them over a passport procurement case.
- CIAA Chief Commissioner Prem Kumar Rai said the meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office was for discussion and denied that the case was pursued without legal grounds.
- Opposition lawmakers questioned whether the CIAA was under political pressure and demanded an explanation of its dealings with the Prime Minister’s Office.
