KATHMANDU, FEB 28 -
A Constitutional Council meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sushil
Koirala on Friday recommended five new commissioners in the Commission
for Investigation of Abuse of Authority. The recommendation is set to
give the anti-graft body a full shape for the first time since Surya
Nath Uphadhyay retired as chief commissioner in 2006.
The meeting has picked Sabitri Gurung, Dip Basnyat, Nabin Ghimire,
Ganesh Kumar Joshi and Raj Narayan Pathak as commissioners. Chief
Commissioner Lokman Singh Karki and Commissioner Keshav Baral have been
already working at the CIAA for the past two years.
Unlike other constitutional bodies, there is no clear constitutional
provision regarding the number of commissioners in the anti-graft body. A
maximum of five members were appointed in the past. The political
parties have increased the number of commissioners at the body to seven
this time as per the power-sharing between the ruling an opposition
parties.
Gurung and Basnyat were recommended by the Nepali Congress, while
Ghimire by CPN-UML. Gurung had also served as a member from the NC in
the State Restructuring Commission.
An assistant professor of political science, Gurung teaches at Ratna
Rajya Campus, while Basnyat is a retired secretary. He had worked as a
junior staffer when incumbent CIAA chief Karki was head at the
Department of Customs.
A former investigation officer at the CIAA said a corruption complaint was lodged at the CIAA against Basnyat. But the
complaint was put on hold. Ghimire, a former home secretary, has an
excellent track record in bureaucracy. He had worked as secretary at
both the Ministry of Home and Ministry of Defence. Joshi, an agriculture
expert, was nominated by the UCPN (Maoist) party.
He had also worked as acting chief at the CIAA in the absence of
constitutionally-appointed commissioners while working as secretary in
the office. Pathak, who recently retired as deputy Attorney General, was
recommended by Madhes-based parties.
President Ram Baran Yadav will appoint them to their positions after
the Parliamentary Special Hearing Committee approves their
recommendation.
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