The main opposition CPN-UML has taken exception to the arrest of Nepali Congress (NC) lawmaker Sunil Sharma by the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police on Thursday.
"Lawmaker Sharma was demanding high level committee to investigate gold smuggling. We take exception to the arrest of Sharma, who was saying that the home minister and the finance minister should be investigated, in a case where the statute of limitations has expired," UML lawmaker Jwala Kumari Sah said speaking in the House of Representatives (HoR) on Friday to thunderous applause of fellow UML lawmkaers.
The CIB arrested Sharma on Thursday as part of its operation to arrest those accused of possessing fake academic certificates. It has arrested seven others by Friday.
The CIB arrested Sharma for investigation on the charge of forging his academic certificate.
Additional Inspector General Kiran Bajracharya, chief of CIB, has written to Speaker Dev Raj Ghimire informing him of Sharma’s arrest. According to the letter, the Nepal Medical Council (NMC) had written to the CIB that several doctors were found to have registered with the Council and participated in the licensing exam conducted by the Council by submitting fake academic certificates from India. Acting on the request, the CIB had written to the National Examination Board (NEB) at Sano Thimi, Bhaktapur, for verification of those certificates including Sharma’s. The NEB had written back to the CIB that Sharma’s ISc certificate, dated 1996, with roll code 6504 and roll number 10117, was not verified.
Sharma had been accused of possessing a fake academic certificate seven years ago, too. Sharma was not arrested then, but the CIB had investigated the charge against him.
During a recent HoR meeting, Sharma had demanded resignation of Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha and Finance Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat for investigation of the recent gold smuggling case.
Finance Minister Mahat, who is also NC’s spokesperson, had said that Sharma had been leveling various accusations after his hospital did not get the insurance money.
“This is an extreme form of anarchy and indiscipline,” Mahat had said at a press conference held at the NC central office on July 26. “He (Sharma) has a hospital. He had been demanding that they should also get insurance. He had said that the insurance issue would be immediately sorted if the finance minister gave the order. He flared up as soon as that didn’t happen.”
