NC demands probe into CIAA pressure allegations

KATHMANDU: The main opposition party, Nepali Congress, has expressed strong concern over allegations that officials of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) were pressured and threatened in connection with recent developments involving Prime Minister Balen Shah.

Speaking in the House of Representatives on Thursday, MP Narendra Kumar Kerung demanded the formation of a parliamentary inquiry committee to investigate the matter and seek the truth.

Kerung said reports suggesting CIAA officials were summoned to the Prime Minister’s Office and subjected to pressure or threats were serious and required immediate clarification from the Prime Minister on the floor of Parliament.

He stressed that any attempt to control or intimidate officials of constitutional bodies goes against democratic values and the constitutional framework.

The lawmaker also urged the government to make public the report of the commission that investigated Home Minister Sudhan Gurung, questioning how he was cleared of allegations and calling for transparency on the matter.

“The public has the right to know what the commission’s report contains and how the Home Minister was given a clean chit,” Kerung said, adding that citizens have also raised concerns over the issue.

He further alleged that disturbing reports had emerged suggesting CIAA officials were detained at the Prime Minister’s Office and pressured to issue arrest warrants, or otherwise face continued confinement.

Kerung warned that if these claims are true, they represent a serious breach of constitutional norms and demanded either a parliamentary probe committee or a formal clarification from the Prime Minister in Parliament.

Reaffirming that the CIAA is a constitutional body, he emphasized that its independence must be respected and that any form of interference is unacceptable in a democratic system.