KATHMANDU: The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has launched investigations into the assets of individuals who served as personal secretaries to former prime ministers Sher Bahadur Deuba and Pushpa Kamal Dahal.
According to sources familiar with the investigation, the anti-graft body is examining the sources of assets belonging to Bhanu Deuba, who served as Deuba’s personal secretary when he was prime minister, as well as Ganga Dahal, who served as Dahal’s personal secretary, and her husband, Jeevan Acharya.
The CIAA has begun collecting details of Bhanu Deuba’s assets and financial transactions as part of a detailed investigation, the sources said. The investigation follows a complaint filed with the commission.
The commission is collecting information on property held in the names of Deuba’s family members, bank accounts and other financial records, landholdings and share investments. An investigation officer has reportedly been assigned to examine the sources of his family’s assets and financial transactions.
The investigation will look into the legal sources of the assets, as well as details of their acquisition and purchase, according to the sources.
The CIAA has also initiated an investigation into the assets of Ganga Dahal and her husband, Jeevan Acharya. Acharya is a member of the Koshi Province Assembly and has previously served as a minister in the provincial government.
According to CIAA sources, Acharya was brought within the scope of the investigation as part of an examination of the assets of Ganga Dahal’s family.
The investigation into Ganga Dahal and Acharya’s assets is reportedly at a more advanced stage than the inquiry into Bhanu Deuba’s assets. The commission is seeking additional information from the concerned parties to clarify the sources of some assets identified during the investigation.
The CIAA had earlier also begun investigating the assets of Rajesh Bajracharya, who served as personal secretary to former prime minister and CPN-UML chair KP Sharma Oli.
The commission has already summoned Bajracharya to its Tangal office and obtained details of his assets.
The latest investigations indicate that the anti-graft body has intensified scrutiny of the assets of personal secretaries and individuals with close access to senior political leaders and public office holders.
However, the launch of an investigation does not by itself establish that the individuals concerned acquired assets illegally. Any conclusion regarding the legality of their assets will depend on the findings of the investigation and the CIAA’s final decision.
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