The appointment of Dr Sangeeta Kaushal Mishra, recommended for the position of health minister, has been halted after the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) said that she is under investigation.
This is not the first time that an appointment process has been stopped at the last moment based on information from the CIAA.
In the past, too, the government had halted the appointments of individuals under CIAA investigation at the last moment. One such example is former finance secretary Shishir Kumar Dhungana, whose appointment was similarly stopped due to a CIAA investigation.
The incident dates back to July 2023.
The Constitutional Council had opened applications for the post of auditor general, and 20 individuals, including former finance secretary Dhungana, had applied.
By March 29, 2024, a near consensus had been reached to appoint Dhungana. However, the CIAA sent a letter stating that an investigation against him was ongoing and that it was preparing to file a case, following which his appointment was halted.
On March 31, 2024, the Constitutional Council recommended Toyam Raya for the post of auditor general.
The CIAA had been investigating Dhungana for alleged irregularities in the purchase of wide-body aircraft. On April 4, 2024, the anti-corruption body filed a case against Dhungana and 31 others in the Special Court.
The Special Court found Dhungana guilty, sentencing him to one and a half years in prison and ordering him to pay over Rs 120 million in claims and fines.
In the same case, then-chairman of Nepal Airlines Corporation Shankar Adhikari, general manager Sugat Ratna Kansakar, and tourism joint secretary Buddhi Sagar Lamichhane were also found guilty. Seven individuals associated with the aircraft supplier were also convicted. However, then-tourism minister Jeevan Bahadur Shahi was acquitted.
A similar incident has occurred again this time.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Sushila Karki recommended Dr Mishra for appointment as minister for health and population, and her name was sent to the President's Office.
After news began appearing in the media that Dr Mishra was set to become a minister, the CIAA informed the Prime Minister's Office that its investigation against Mishra was nearing completion and a case would soon be filed. Consequently, the government halted her appointment.
