KATHMANDU, May 5: Director General of the Department of Revenue Investigation (DRI) Nawa Raj Dhungana has been transferred to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA). Chakra Bahadur Budha has been appointed in Dhungana’s place as the new Director General of the DRI.
Budha was recently transferred from the Department of Tourism and brought to the Prime Minister's Office. The government plans to send Dhungana as the Consul General of the Consulate General of Nepal in Kolkata.
According to sources, preparations are being made to bring the current Consul General Eshor Raj Poudel to the MoFA.
Director General and Deputy Director General of IRD transferred
Dhungana was appointed as the Director General of the DRI in April 2020. Before that, he was the personal secretary of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal. After becoming the Director General, he came into the limelight after the department seized 61 kg of smuggled gold.
After filing a tax evasion case against the American company Cotiviti, the private sector raised various questions on his expertise in revenue matters. Despite criticism, he is in line for the post of Consul General, which is considered more appealing than the department.
