KATHMANDU, April 3: Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority on Thursday asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to enforce a code of conduct for Nepal’s ambassadors to maintain their diplomatic decorum.
The anti-graft body asked the ministry to monitor whether the envoys are collecting amount from Nepalis abroad. [break]
The CIAA directive comes a week after it censored foreign minister’s adviser Shyamananda Suman who has been accused of collecting money illegally from Nepalis in Qatar when he was ambassador there.
"Such a code of conduct is required to make the ambassadors respect diplomatic decorum, and maintain impartiality, neutrality and transparency of the diplomatic mission staffs,” said acting Chief Commissioner of the CIAA Lalit Bahadur Limbu.
The CIAA also asked the Foreign Ministry to control the practice of collecting money from Nepali abroad, besides asking it to make necessary arrangement for proper use of the amount collected by Suman. "Even if there is urgent need to collect such amount for humanitarian purpose, the government must formulate necessary laws or regulations,” said Limbu, quoting the CIAA decision.
It is for the first time the constitutional anti-graft body has called for enforcing code of conduct for the envoys in the diplomatic missions.
Suman’s act of collecting money in the name of supporting stranded Nepalis to enable them to return home during his stint as ambassador in Qatar compelled the CIAA to take a fresh decision, according to a CIAA source. Suman allegedly collected money from those applying for renewing their passport in the embassy.
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