Govt has zero-tolerance policy on corruption: Home Minister

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Oct. 29: Minister for Home Affairs Ramesh Lekhak has said that the current government is clear about adopting a zero-tolerance policy in regard to corruption.

Speaking at a meeting of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee under the House of Representatives held at Singha Durbar on Monday, Minister Lekhak said that the government is committed to preventing and controlling corruption and has a clear stance on adopting a zero-tolerance policy towards it.

The Home Minister expressed the view that laws and bills have been presented to completely eradicate corruption.

“The government requests the committee to expedite the presentation of this bill in the upcoming session so that it can be finalised as soon as possible,” said Minister Lekhak. 

“These bills are in priority and should be passed immediately to become laws,” he said. He also urged the committee to finalise and present the legislation for full approval and implementation in the federal parliament session.

“Bills have been presented to amend and revise the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority Act and the Prevention of Corruption Act-2002,” he said, “which are currently under consideration by the esteemed committee,” said the Home Minister. 

Further, the Home Minister clarified that the investigation of any criminal activity will be based on facts and evidences, not on individuals’ opinions and their faces.

He said that investigations into criminal activities would be conducted based on facts and evidence. “Investigations will take place against all individuals involved in criminal activities, whether it is corruption or fraud. It should happen. No one should be favoured. There will be no distinction between the ruling party and the opposition,” the Home Minister clarified.

Referring to the ongoing propaganda that the government has arrested and detained Rastriya Swantantra Party’s President Rabi Lamichhane based on political revenge in the cooperative fraud case, Home Minister Lekhak provided this clarification.

He claimed that wherever the evidences lead, search and investigation will also be conducted accordingly.  The Home Minister claimed that the government does not go beyond the law.

Similarly, Nepali Congress lawmaker Dilendra Prasad Badu said that the workload will increase when the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) enters the private sector. He said that while the government has brought up the issue of expanding the CIAA’s jurisdiction and statute of limitations, it has not clarified the conditions under which this should happen.

Further, lawmaker Prakash Adhikari of the Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) said that there has been no significant improvement in the work of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA). He said that effective investigations will not occur until laws are made that deter corruption.

“If laws are not made to discourage corruption, there will be no progress. Laws existed before, but loopholes were exploited. Therefore, a stringent law must be introduced,” he said. 

He said, “Does it really take 60 days to take a statement while in custody? We need to think about that as well.”Meanwhile, Minister for Home Affairs Ramesh Lekhak has held a discussion with former police officials regarding various issues of peace and security.

In the meeting held at the Ministry of Home Affairs in Singha Durbar on Monday evening, Minister Lekhak discussed with former IGPs Ramesh Chand Thakuri and Kuber Singh Rana, along with AIGs Dibas Lohani, Uttam Subedi, Bigyan Raj Sharma, Bam Bahadur Bhandari, Devendra Subedi and DIGs Ramesh Kharel and Hemant Malla Thakuri.

According to the Home Minister’s secretariat, the discussion covered a range of topics on peace and security, as well as initiatives for reform of the security bodies.