National
PM asks CIAA to act within its jurisdiction
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has asked the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) to do away with the tendency of acting as an executive body while executing its tasks.Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has asked the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) to do away with the tendency of acting as an executive body while executing its tasks.
The PM made such remark in response to complaints from anti-graft body officials that the new constitution has curtailed its jurisdiction. He was speaking at the event organised by the Council of Minister and CIAA on the occasion of International Anti-Corruption Day on Friday.
Acting chief of the CIAA Deep Basnyat, expressing his concern over the reduced jurisdiction of the CIAA under the new constitution, said: “Nepal has become a party of United Nations Convention on Corruption which demands broadened jurisdiction for anti-graft body. But Nepal’s new constitution reduced its jurisdiction raising question over ensuring good governance in the country.”
The new constitution has removed the CIAA from its jurisdiction of overseeing the ‘improper conduct’ by the public officials while limiting its role to look into corruption cases.
But hinting at activities carried out the anti-graft body under now suspended chief Lokman Singh Karki, PM Dahal fired back, saying: “The situation has arisen where we have to question who theexecutive chief of Nepali state was.
“Formally, constitutionally, legally and politically, there is only one executive body,” said Dahal, referring to the Council of Ministers.
“When a body formed by the state considers itself as the state, it can give birth to many anomalies,” he added, while insisting that the constitution and the laws of the country have given specific jurisdictions to the state institutions and they should act within the limit of those jurisdictions.
Survey and generation of more than a dozen hydropower projects were cancelled two years ago at the behest of the CIAA. As well as being involved in conducting an entrance examination at the Kathmandu University, the CIAA leadership also courted controversy over its role in the transfers of key government officials.
Chairperson of Parliamentary Good Governance and Monitoring Committee Sher Dhan Rai said that many questions were raised over the ‘CIAA terror’ in the past. “The CIAA is necessary for the country but it should stay out of any controversy,” he said. Striking a conciliatory note, Basnyat said the commission had learnt from its past mistakes and that it would move ahead with its primary objective to minimise corruption in the country. “The commission is aware about its constitutional responsibility and it is committed to operate within the jurisdiction set by the constitution,” he said.