Speaker Dev Raj Ghimire has been dallying to suspend fugitive CPN-UML House of Representatives (HoR) member Laxmi Mahato Koiri who has been accused of murder.
The new HoR regulation passed on April 2 has provision of suspending fugitive lawmaker but Speaker Ghimire, who was elected to the post from UML, has yet to inform the House about Koiri’s suspension.
The Janakpur High Court had ordered Koiri be sent to custody for investigation in the case accusing him of encircling and thrashing Armed Police Force ASI Thaman BK to death on September 11, 2015. But he has been absconding.
DIG Tek Prasad Rai had written to the Federal Parliament Secretariat December 22, 2022 on behalf of the Nepal Police Headquarters informing that lawmaker Koiri is absconding. But Speaker Ghimire has yet to read out the notice about Koiri’s suspension even after passing the new HoR regulation.
He has yet to respond despite Nepali Congress (NC) lawmaker Ramhari Khatiwada and Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) lawmaker Nisha Dangi seeking his answer on the issue of punishing Koiri.
The Federal Parliament Secretariat, on its part, claims that Koiri has not been attending HoR meetings due to health reasons. “He has written that that he has been unable to attend as he has been unwell since February 8, 2023 and says that he will attend once he gets well,” Federal Parliament Secretariat Spokesperson Ekram Giri told Setopati. “He has twice sent letter to the secretariat.”
Koiri, however, has yet to be remunerated as lawmaker.
“We said that there should be no special privilege for a lawmaker as a government employee is suspended immediately after a case id filed in the court while preparing the regulation,” said NC lawmaker Khatiwada who is in the Business Advisory Committee chaired by Speaker Ghimire. “I have repeatedly raised the issue of Koiri in the House. We are watching what speaker will do.”
