RSP chair Lamichhane tells CIAA to act if government officials obstruct its work

Rabi Lamichhane, the chairman of Nepal's ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party, has publicly declared that any obstruction of the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority's (CIAA) work constitutes a crime. He urged the constitutional commission to take action if government officials interfered with its investigations, assuring that the ruling party would not exert pressure.

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If there has been any weakness on the part of our government and if that has created any obstruction to your work, creating obstacles to investigation and prosecution is itself a form of crime.

Speaking at a meeting of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee, Lamichhane directly addressed the CIAA. "If there has been any weakness on the part of our government and if that has created any obstruction to your work, creating obstacles to investigation and prosecution is itself a form of crime," he stated. He added, "If you have clear grounds, reasons and evidence of such a problem, you can proceed with the necessary action." Lamichhane further assured that if individuals were found to have interfered, the ruling party would not apply pressure or influence.

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If you have clear grounds, reasons and evidence of such a problem, you can proceed with the necessary action.

These remarks come amid allegations that Prime Minister Balendra Shah and his secretariat detained CIAA officials, including Chief Commissioner Prem Kumar Rai, at the Prime Minister’s Office for approximately seven hours on June 15. The alleged purpose was to pressure the commission to prosecute officials involved in a passport procurement contract.

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If the CIAA [leadership] needs to be held for five hours to answer questions and give advice, then we can keep it for not just five hours, but five years, if necessary. We will not do anything against the rules.

Prime Minister Shah had previously addressed the issue at the RSP general convention, stating that the CIAA could be questioned for extended periods if necessary. Chief Commissioner Rai confirmed that the CIAA had been invited to the Prime Minister’s Office for discussions on the passport issue, acknowledging that some areas for improvement were identified and subsequently made. He noted that the case had already been registered and prosecuted, with legal aspects now being handled by the relevant authorities.

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The prime minister may have invited the concerned parties for discussions and suggestions on the passport issue. We also participated in the discussion. Some areas requiring improvement were identified, and some improvements were subsequently made.