For Good Governance

The rule of law, good governance and transparency are essential for a democratic state to thrive and prosper. Corruption is one of the major obstacles to the socio-economic progress of any society. Nepal's economic development has been hit hard by the widespread corruption that occurs from the policy making to project implementation layer. In a society where corruption prevails and public offices are not transparent, people's trust in public institutions and bureaucracy diminishes. 

Nepal has been ranked 108th out of 180 countries in the Corruption Perceptions Index. Although there has been some progress in Nepal’s score, it still falls into the category of nations plagued by financial irregularities. Against this backdrop, the role of the anti-graft bodies like the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) is crucial in curbing corruption and abuse of authority.

CIAA is an independent and autonomous constitutional body that controls corruption by investigating any abuse of authority committed by any person holding public office. As per the spirit of the constitution, CIAA has adopted punitive, preventive, promotional and institutional capacity development strategies against corruption to realise its objectives as envisaged in the constitution. It should internalise the motto of integrity and impartiality. It must gather up courage to eradicate corruption.

However, it is often complained that CIAA only catches small fish and lets the big ones off the hook. Now it needs to keep an eye on those corruption cases taking place at the higher level too, notwithstanding political and money influences. For this end, the constitutionally mandated anti-graft watchdog should be bold in judgement and action, impartial in decision, and have clean image and fairness in its probe and monitoring approach. There is a need to keep high integrity and judicious standing in order to make sure that corrupt cannot go scot-free and innocent people are not unduly made the scapegoat. 

On Sunday, CIAA submitted its report for fiscal year 2080/81 (2023/24) to President Ramchandra Paudel. On the occasion, President Paudel expressed his happiness over the CIAA's commitment to the principles of integrity and fairness for the interest of the general public and national welfare. He stated that identifying, investigating, and prosecuting those involved in the corruption-related offences were crucial for maintaining good governance. It is necessary to enhance the institutional capacity of CIAA and the professional competence of its staff to make its action transparent and effective. According to the constitutional body, it received a total of 36,186 complaints in the fiscal year 2023/24, including 9,268 complaints that were transferred from the fiscal year 2022/23

Corruption is a cancer of the society as it fuels poverty and inequality. The embezzlement of tax payers' money dents the efficiency and capacity of the public offices assigned the responsibility of delivering goods and services to the people. It erodes the foundations of democracy and undermines legal systems, giving rise to despair among the people. Strong anti-corruption laws are enacted in Nepal but their implementation is not effective. The enforcement of anti-graft laws and regulations promote transparency and accountability. It is important to foster a culture where corruption is not tolerated.  Continued efforts from governments, civil society, international organisations and the private sector are vital for curbing corruption.