Questions raised against CIAA summons

Kathmandu December 7-  A day after the Lokman Singh Karki-led Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority summoned high-profile politicians, bureaucrats and civil society leaders for interrogation in potential corruption charges, questions are being raised about the motive and timing of the CIAA decision.

In what would have appeared a major anti-graft drive by the constitutional body, the CIAA move appears to be more like an effort to silence and intimidate his opponents, politicians and bureaucrats accused in corruption, critics say.

Even government attorneys who led investigation into ill-gotten wealth of public officials while being deputed at the CIAA in the past say they are surprised at the names of the people summoned by the anti-graft body on Saturday. According to them, none of the accused was under the CIAA scanner in the past. More than 300 complaints related to illegal amassing of wealth were filed in the CIAA before Karki took charge as its head. “The list does not include the 29 people summoned by the CIAA. I never saw these names on the CIAA watch list,” a senior government attorney who served the corruption watchdog as a lead investigation officer told the Post.

The letters sent to the 29 individuals on Saturday call them to appear before the CIAA within seven days without mentioning the allegations against them. Most of them are vocal critics of the CIAA chief. Many are affiliated to the ruling CPN-UML, followed by members of the Khil Raj Regmi Cabinet and UCPN (Maoist) leaders. Emerging leaders of UML Surendra Pandey, Rajendra Pandey, Bijay Poudel, Janardan Dhakal, Banshidhar Mishra and Ichchharaj Tamang have been linked to unnamed charges.

UML leaders say they were targeted by Karki to settle personal scores. UML leaders, who were against his appointment as the CIAA head immediately after the Regmi-led Constitutional Council recommended Karki for the position, have been targeted revengefully, the leaders alleged. There are also allegations that the CIAA chief is targeting individuals who have spoken against India’s unofficial border blockade.

There are also concerns about the timing of the CIAA action–given that the parties are engaged in crucial negotiations to resolve the Madhes crisis and end the blockade. There are fears that this episode will distract the political class from dealing with the national crisis with threat to their political careers. Similarly, Out of the 11 ministers in the Regmi government, six members, all of them Karki’s peers in the bureaucracy, were summoned on corruption charges. All the six had reportedly opposed Karki’s appointment as the CIAA chief. Kanak Mani Dixit, a prominent civil society leader who was vocal against Karki’s appointment, was also summoned. Dixit had campaigned against Karki’s appointment in legal and civil society fronts.