House special body begins investigation

By A Staff Reporter Kathmandu, July 18: The special parliamentary investigation committee formed to probe the irregularities in the Ministry of Finance during budget preparation for the year 2079/80 began its work from Saturday. 

The Probe committee members visited the ministry, collected evidences about the incident and talked with the officials in the ministry on the matter.

The process will continue for a few more days as it has 10 days work mandate to submit a factual study report to the House of Representatives on the matter. 

Surendra Aryal, secretary of the probe committee, said that they began an initial task to investigate whether there was irregularity in the ministry or not. "It's the first meeting to begin the task and we are seriously observing all evidences including CCTV footage," he added.

Outgoing finance minister Janardan Sharma is charged with involvement in irregularities during the process. He is accused of bringing unauthorised persons in the ministry on the night of May 28 to tweak tax rates. The irregularity incident got more serious after the ministry said that the footage of the night was erased from the server. After that minister Sharma himself had tendered his resignation from the post stating that he would cooperate with the investigation process.

Earlier, when the minister resigned, Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota had formed an 11-member parliamentary probe committee to investigate into the allegation the main opposition imposed upon the minister in the House demanding for CCTV footage of the night before the budget was unveiled.

The Finance Minister responded that the CCTV footage of the night when Sharma allegedly invited outsiders to tweak the tax rates got erased further escalated controversy. Finance Secretary Madhu Marasini, Revenue Secretary Krishna Hari Pushkar and two joint secretaries Bhupal Baral and Chakra Bahadur Budha were said to be at the Finance Ministry on the night of May 28 when Sharma invited the two outsiders to alter tax rates. None have spoken anything on the matter as of now.