KATHMANDU, Oct 1: Social Science Baha has said that the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) misinterpreted the facts and alleged the NGO for misappropriation of fund.
CIAA action against Social Science Baha raises int'l concern
Issuing a press statement on Friday, the NGO stated that it is ready to cooperate with any state agency for investigation but wishes the agencies to be impartial and perform their action within the constitutional and legal framework.
The NGO has also clarified that Alliance for Social Dialogue is a program sanctioned by the concerned government authority, Social Welfare Council.
Earlier, the anti-graft body, issuing a press release on Sunday had alleged that the Alliance itself was an NGO operating illegally without proper registration. The CIAA had also accused the Social Science Baha of being involving in irregularities of funds received through donors. The CIAA had separately written to the Lalitpur District Administration Office and Social Welfare Council to look into the matter and take action against the Baha and the Alliance.
Refuting the CIAA allegations, the NGO has presented documents issued by Social Welfare Council that shows Alliance for Social Dialogue is a program of the NGO but not a separate NGO. The NGO has been running similar other programs such as Center for the Study of Labor and Mobility, Interactive Mapping and Archive Project.
Based on its preliminary investigation, the CIAA had alleged that the Baha and the Alliance spent the fund in unproductive ways as in hefty salaries, allowances, travel, hotels, picnics and liquor.
However, the NGO has claimed that the CIAA leveled allegations against it with mala-fide intention and its act of publishing a press release with baseless allegations amounted to overstepping its jurisdiction and violation of the existing legal provisions.
Social Science Baha is an NGO working to promote social science research and dialogues. The Social Welfare Council has time and again portrayed and presented Social Science Baha as one of the best performing NGOs in the past.
The NGO was registered at the District Administration Office on January 15, 2007 and got affiliation with the Social Welfare Council on January 24 of the same year. The NGO received permanent account number (PAN) from Inland Revenue Office on January 28, 2007. The NGO has claimed that it has been fulfilling all legal obligations since then.
