A large section of the society strongly protested when the major political parties and the government decided to appoint Karki as the chief commissioner of CIAA. There was a strong uproar against the proposal so much so that the representatives of Nepal Bar Association and other civil society members urged the president to halt the appointment. They argued that appointment of Karki, who has been accused of suppressing the April movement, as the CIAA would be a mockery of the rule of law. [break]
After he assumed office as the chief of the constitutional body, Karki held a series of interactions with top officials of ministries, heads of departments, chiefs of security agencies and various public utilities. In the last couple of weeks, the anti-corruption body has raided several government offices and arrested scores of officials on corruption charges.
CIAA arrested officials of the Department of Foreign Employment, Immigration Office at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), Nepal Electricity Authority, BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences and Nobel Medical College, among others, on corruption charges. Altogether, the commission arrested 76 civil servants. The commission subsequently filed cases against dozens of civil servants at the Special Court.
With the CIAA cracking down on corruption, people from various sectors have been alarmed. On the other hand, trade unionists from the government bodies have launched a tirade against the anti-graft body. Stating that CIAA was arresting officials arbitrarily and tarnishing their public image, the unionists have accused the commission of demoralizing the civil servants.
Following the raids at immigration, hundreds of youths leaving for foreign employment have been returned by officials at TIA even after they produced genuine documents.
CIAA has construed the reaction of the immigration officials as their motive of “non-cooperation to the commission”. The commission has countered them saying that officials at the concerned ministries and the public utilities would be held squarely responsible for the consequences.
CIAA´s recent moves have received mixed reactions. While a large section of the society has welcomed the commission´s actions, some others don´t buy that the fresh initiatives as aimed at curbing corruption and ending impunity. The latter argue that the CIAA´s actions wouldn´t amount to much unless it takes action against corrupt politicians. Chairman of Transparency International Nepal Bishnu Bahadur KC cautiously welcomed the latest developments. He describes it as a positive move by the anti-graft body.“CIAA remained inactive for a long time while corruption is increasing alarmingly. Better late than never, the commission has started to work. Let´s hope that it will carry out its task seriously and genuinely,” KC told Republica.
Stating that it would be unpractical to expect CIAA raid everywhere and arrest of top politicians right away, KC said the commission should take up the issue involving politicians gradually. “Otherwise, people will have a strong ground to suspect the CIAA´s intentions,” he said. He was quick to add that it is neither a time to question the CIAA´s intention nor to be overly optimistic.
Cases involving politicians a litmus test for CIAA
Karki´s appointment as head of the anti-graft body had drawn suspicions as he was proposed as the CIAA chief by UCPN (Maoist). Though leaders of the major parties seconded the proposal, Karki´s appointment was opposed by an overwhelming majority of their rank and file. This backdrop have made skeptics conclude that Karki isn´t going to take up any major corruption cases involving top political leaders, especially those from the UCPN (Maoist).
While the general public is eager to see if Karki digs into corruption cases involving top politicians, some politicians and other activists affiliated to non-Maoist parties have demand that the CIAA take up the issue of irregularities that took place in the Maoist cantonments. It is claimed that billions of rupees provided by the government to former Maoist combatants had been embezzled in the cantonments.
Some organizations have officially registered applications at the commission demanding investigation into alleged irregularities in the cantonments. TI-Nepal has written to the prime minister´s office (PMO) urging the government to make public the details of financial transactions in the cantonments. “We wrote to the PMO because the money spent on combatants as allowance, foods, clothing and other needs at the cantonments came from the taxpayers,” said KC. “It is the government´ duty to make everything public. Sadly, the government has done nothing to this effect so far.”
Top UCPN (Maoist) leaders, however, have argued that digging up the issue would derail the peace process.
Tabs on feasts/parties
CIAA´s decision to keep tabs on feasts and parties also drew controversy.Some took it as a positive initiative toward maintaining social harmony and discouraging vulgar display of wealth while others construed the move as transgression of jurisdiction.
Following the debates, the commission, in a statement on Tuesday, clarified its motive behind the decision. The commission argued that its motive was to discourage extravagance that may encourage people to earn money through unlawful means.
“What the commission can do is to draw government´s attention toward such social trends and offer suggestions,” said KC.
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