Commission formed to investigate assets of senior officials, politicians

Kathmandu, Apr. 16: The government has decided to constitute a high-level Asset Investigation Commission to examine the property details of senior political leaders and high-ranking civil servants who have held public office since 2005/06.

A meeting of the Council of Ministers held at the Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM) on Wednesday evening took the decision to this effect. 

According to government spokesperson and Minister for Education, Science and Technology, Sasmit Pokharel, the commission will be chaired by former Supreme Court Justice Rajendra Kumar Bhandari and will comprise five members.

The commission has been mandated to collect, verify, and investigate the asset declarations of individuals who have held key political positions and senior administrative roles between 2005/06 and 2024/25. 

The members of the commission include former Supreme Court Justices Purushottam Parajuli and Chandi Raj Dhakal, former Deputy Inspector General of Police Ganesh K.C., and Chartered Accountant Prakash Lamsal.

In a series of Cabinet decisions, the government also approved several other measures, including the acceptance of a Swiss Franc 1 million grant assistance from the Government of Switzerland for the Enforced Disappearances Inquiry and Truth and Reconciliation Fund.

The government has also assigned designated anti-excise duties responsibilities to senior officials across the Inland Revenue Department, Large Taxpayer Office, Medium Taxpayer Office, and various Revenue Offices. Similarly, heads of 52 Customs and Revenue Control Offices have been given additional authority as excise duty officers for specified jurisdictions.

The Cabinet further approved the Third Amendment to the Economic Procedure and Fiscal Accountability Rules, 2025, and endorsed the National Standards on Organisation and Management Survey, 2025, according to the Minister. 

In another decision, the government agreed to present information to Parliament regarding the Nepal–India Agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, signed on February 17, 2026. 

A separate committee has also been formed under former High Court Judge Prem Raj Karki to review the implementation of a report submitted by a commission investigating the incidents of September 8 and 9 only related to security bodies. 

The committee will assess security arrangements and make recommendations, with former Armed Police Force Additional Inspector General Subodh Adhikari and former Nepal Police Additional Inspector General Tek Prasad Rai as members.

Speaking after the Cabinet meeting, Minister Pokharel stated that most ministers have already disclosed the sources of their assets and reiterated that all individuals who held major political positions since 2005/06 would come under asset scrutiny.

He emphasised that the current government has prioritised transparency and accountability, adding that the commission has been formed to ensure a comprehensive investigation of assets held by all senior political officeholders since that period.