PM Karki govt to leave without publicizing asset declarations

KATHMANDU, March 26: The government led by Prime Minister Sushila Karki, formed on the principles of good governance and transparency following the Gen-Z movement, is preparing to exit office without revealing its ministers’ asset declarations.

On Friday, Balendra Shah (Balen) is set to take the oath from the President, formally ending the tenure of the Karki-led cabinet. Until then, Nepali citizens remain in the dark about the wealth of the Prime Minister and her ministers, as their asset details have been kept confidential—raising serious questions about the government’s transparency.

Karki was appointed Prime Minister following the Gen-Z protests on September 8–9. Four ministers have already left office without disclosing their assets. These outgoing ministers, who also contested the House of Representatives elections on March 5, include Kulman Ghising, then Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport; Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation; and Urban Development; Mahabir Pun, Minister for Education and Science & Technology; Jagdish Kharel, Minister for Communications and Information Technology; and Bablu Gupta, Minister for Youth and Sports. Among them, Kulman Ghising lost in the parliamentary polls.

While the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM) website shows that asset declarations have been received from all ministers, including the Prime Minister, the actual details remain inaccessible to the public. Although a separate section exists for viewing these declarations, it cannot be opened, effectively keeping the information secret.

Administrative experts say asset disclosure is closely tied to a government’s ethics. They argue that a government formed after the Gen-Z movement should have been more transparent and made declarations public immediately. “The main authorities responsible for preventing corruption are the Prime Minister and the ministers themselves. Therefore, they must be transparent regarding their assets,” one expert said.

According to OPMCM records, ministers who have submitted asset declarations include Prime Minister Karki, who also held the Defence portfolio; Finance Minister Rameshore Khanal, overseeing Federal Affairs and General Administration; Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal; and ministers Anil Kumar Sinha (Industry, Commerce and Supplies; Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation; and Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs), Madan Prasad Pariyar (Agriculture and Livestock Development), Sudha Gautam (Health and Population), and Kulman Ghising.

Prime Minister Karki, appointed on September 12, expanded her cabinet five times—on September 15, September 22, October 26, December 12, and December 26. According to OPMCM, a total of 11 ministers, including Karki, have submitted asset declarations. Section 31 of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority Act, 1991, requires the Prime Minister and ministers to submit asset declarations within 60 days of assuming office and again within 60 days after the end of each fiscal year. OPMCM sources said Karki submitted her declaration three days after the deadline. Experts emphasize that while submissions were made to the OPMCM, public disclosure remains a matter of ethical responsibility.

After the parliamentary elections in 2017, the government led by KP Sharma Oli publicly disclosed ministers’ asset declarations. At that time, Law Minister Sher Bahadur Tamang personally made his assets public. Initially, all ministers complied, but later appointees left office without doing so. On July 4, 2018, a gazette directed all Prime Ministers, ministers, state ministers, and assistant ministers to submit their assets to OPMCM; however, public disclosure was not mandated.

Following the 1990 People’s Movement, the government led by Girija Prasad Koirala had decreed that the Prime Minister and ministers must make asset declarations public within 15 days of assuming office. Home Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba complied at the time. Subsequent governments generally disclosed asset details, though the 2013 government led by Khil Raj Regmi did not release any ministerial declarations. Governments formed after Regmi showed mixed practices, with some Prime Ministers and ministers publicly revealing their assets while others did not.