Dahal questions government’s inaction on Bhutanese refugee scam and cooperative fraud

Chairman of the main opposition party CPN (Maoist Center) and former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal have said that the current government is not investigating high-profile corruption cases, including the Bhutanese refugee scam and embezzlement of cooperative funds involving members of the ruling party.

Speaking before a mass meeting of the party in Kathmandu, Dahal criticized the KP Sharma Oli government for not prosecuting the suspects in the corruption cases when the individuals are linked to the ruling parties – CPN-UML and Nepali Congress.

During his speech, Dahal demanded answers from the government on the status of the investigation into the Bhutanese refugee scam, as well as investigations into several other alleged fraud cases such as the Basbari land grab and the Giribandhu Tea Estate. Dahal accused the government of protecting corrupt officials and circumventing accountability measures, saying: “This government seems to have been formed to protect and not expose corruption.”

The Maoist chief also wondered why UML and Congress leaders, implicated in a parliamentary committee report on misappropriation of cooperative funds, have not taken action. “Those named in the report should be investigated and arrested if found guilty,” he said, adding that selectively targeting opposition figures for investigation is unjust.

The chairman of the Maoist Center warned that the government’s focus on retaining power should not lead it to protect systemic irregularities and corrupt practices. “We did not take to the streets to overthrow the government, but to expose bad governance of the government,” Dahal said, stressing that any political instability arising from unchecked corruption would be self-inflicted the ruling coalition, and not through opposition efforts.