Govt prepares to ban civil servants from engaging in share trading during office hours

Published On: September 9, 2024 05:40 PM NPT By: Bhuwan Sharma

CIAA writes to PMO, seeking a prohibition on employees engaging in share trading during office hours

KATHMANDU, Sept 9: The government is preparing to ban government employees from engaging in share trading within the office during office hours.

The government is preparing to implement this measure after concluding that the daily work performance of the civil servants is affected when they are actively engaged in share trading from within the office. On Sunday, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) sent a letter to the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, seeking a ban on conducting share trading from within the office during office hours.

The CIAA has also asked the government to take necessary actions against employees who engage in share trading during office hours. After receiving the letter from the CIAA, the government has begun the process of studying the issue of banning share trading within government offices during the office hours. Spokesperson Prem Prasad Acharya of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) confirmed that the PMO received a letter from the CIAA with a request to monitor and prevent share trading by employees from their offices during office hours.

Acharya said, "After receiving the letter from the CIAA, we have started discussions on what to do and how to proceed. The matter is currently under discussion." Complaints have been filed with the CIAA about employees being more involved in buying and selling shares than in their official duties, which has caused disruptions in government work and services and widespread misuse of government resources. Based on these complaints, the CIAA wrote to the PMO, seeking a ban on share trading from within government offices.

According to sources, after receiving the letter from the CIAA, senior officials of the Council of Ministers and the PMO are scheduled to discuss the matter with IT department technicians on Monday. According to one technical employee, a system can be developed to prevent share trading from government offices or to ensure that share trading apps cannot be accessed. Additionally, the system can monitor whether employees are conducting share trading during office hours.

"It's not that government employees should not engage in share trading, but it is not allowed during office hours from the office," said a senior official from the Council of Ministers and the Prime Minister's Office. "Employees should not engage in share trading in a manner that disrupts service delivery," the official added.

Officials from the PMO have also begun discussions on which laws will be applied to take action against employees conducting share trading from the office during office hours. The Civil Service Act includes provisions regarding employee conduct, requiring employees to obtain government approval if they engage in trade or business. The government is preparing to interpret share trading as a form of trade or business and is considering measures to either take action against employees involved in such activities during office hours or prevent them from trading altogether.

Employees working in offices within Singha Durbar, the country's main administrative center, have been found to be more engaged in share trading for personal income than in government work. Even service recipients visiting the offices have noticed this issue. The complaint registered with the CIAA also mentions that this problem is quite complex in offices outside Singha Durbar. The complaint calls for a ban on such activities at government offices.

Specifically, lower-level employees are engaging in share trading from the office during work hours. Complaints have been filed with the CIAA alleging widespread misuse of government resources. Singha Durbar houses the PMO, various ministries, commissions, agencies, and other offices, with over 5,000 employees working there. An employee from the National Vigilance Center stated, "Employees working in the ministerial secretariats are also observed to be highly involved in share trading. This issue has significantly increased recently."