HEADLINE NEWS THE RISING NEPAL (DAILY)

His Majesty receives panel's report on assets
Property of 30,594 persons codified

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, March 18: His Majesty King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev today was presented with the report of the Judicial Inquiry Commission on Property (JICP) which includes in detail the "codification" of property of high-ranking government officials and political leaders of the country who held public posts since 1990.

After submitting the 607-page report to His Majesty the King this afternoon, chairman of the JICP Bhairav Prasad Lamsal told journalists that as they had completed their assignment, it was now the government's turn to work on the findings.

The report gives property details, along with a comparative study of the assets provided in the 'property detail submission form' by the concerned persons and the property found during the course of investigation of 30,594 people.

We had dispatched the forms to 41,941 individuals who held public posts since 1990 with the honest expectation that they would all be filled up and submitted. But we failed to receive property details from 11,347 people," Lamsal, who is a judge at the Supreme Court, told the press.

Lamsal, however, declined to explain whether the Commission had singled out anyone who might have amassed wealth illegally.

"We do not have the authority to do so. As assigned we have honestly codified the property of those people who submitted the forms. It is now the government's job to blacklist and take action against those who have unaccounted for wealth," he said.

But a Commission source requesting anonymity told The Rising Nepal that there are more than 2,000 officials who have been found acquiring property beyond their means.

Asked how satisfied he was with his work, Chairman of the JICP said their work would be meaningful if the government fully worked on the findings.

Talking about the achievements, Lamsal said it could record property details of more than 30,000 people, and this could be a guideline for other similar investigations in the future.

"I am hopeful that this will help stop corruption and strengthen good governance in the country," he said at the press meet organised at the JICP office, which closes down from tomorrow upon expiry of its mandate.

His Majesty the King in March 2002 had formed the Commission to carry out an impartial study of the property of those who have held public posts since 1990 in a bid to control corruption. As the Commission could not complete its task in the stipulated six-month time frame, the term was extended by a further six months in August last year.

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