An International Monetary Fund (IMF) technical assistance mission, led by Jonathan Pampolina, successfully concluded its scoping visit to Kathmandu yesterday (January 21).
The 10-day mission, which began on January 12, was conducted at the request of the Nepali authorities to lay the groundwork for a comprehensive Governance and Corruption Diagnostic (GCD).
The diagnostic is designed to identify governance weaknesses and corruption vulnerabilities that are critical to Nepal’s macroeconomic stability. The final goal is to create a prioritized and sequenced action plan to strengthen the country's state functions and integrity.
What are the focus areas of the diagnostic?
The mission utilized the IMF 2018 Enhanced Governance Framework to target core state functions, specifically focusing on Fiscal Governance, Financial Sector Oversight, Rule of Law, strengthening anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism and Anti-Corruption Framework.
The IMF team held extensive consultations with a broad spectrum of state institutions, including the Ministry of Finance, Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), the Supreme Court, and the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA). To ensure a holistic perspective, the mission also met with business associations, civil society organizations, and international development partners.
The IMF staff praised the Nepali government's commitment to the diagnostic process. A full GCD mission is scheduled for the coming months to finalize reform recommendations. The process will culminate in a comprehensive report analyzing the severity of corruption and providing a roadmap for reforms intended to boost Nepal’s economic outcomes and institutional resilience.
Thursday, January 22, 2026
IMF sets stage for major anti-corruption reform plan in Nepal
Tuesday, January 31, 2023
Nepal still one of the most corrupt countries
Though the country is mired with massive corruption, Nepal improved its position slightly in the annual Corruption Perceptions Index – an annual flagship publication of Transparency International – released today by the Transparency International-Nepal (TI-Nepal).
Whereas the index revealed in January 2022 had shown Nepal in the 117th position among 180 countries, the latest index places Nepal in the 110th position, according to the anti-corruption watchdog. Position-wise, it is a seven-step leap, but the score has improved just slightly, to 34 from 33, according to the report.
Despite some improvement in score, Nepal remains in the category of countries with rampant corruption, TI-Nepal’s press note reads, adding that in South Asia, Nepal has been ranked below Bhutan (25th), the Maldives (85th), India (85th) and Sri Lanka (101st). Pakistan (140th), Bangladesh (147th) and Afghanistan (150th) are the only countries behind Nepal.
According to the TI’s worldwide report, Nepal has not been able to control corruption.
“Despite the slight improvement, Nepal is still in the category of the countries where corruption is prevalent,” the anti-corruption watchdog’s Nepal chapter’s press note reads.
“Transparency International Nepal appeals to the concerned parties for addressing the conflict of interest, ending impunity, implementing laws and making controlling agencies more effective, thereby promoting good governance,” the press note reads, adding that an improvement in the Corruption Perceptions Index can be expected in the future, if such efforts are meaningful.
“The import and export were decreased in 2022 as compared to 2021,” chairperson of TI-Nepal Padmini Pradhananga at a programme organized here today by TI-Nepal.
“Nepal got more points in the survey of World Economic Forum due to decline in corruption relating to import and export,” she said, adding that Denmark is in the first position with 90 points while Somalia is in the last position with 12 points. “Of the 180 countries, 58 countries have received more than 50 points.”
Six different international organisations – World Bank, World Economic Forum, Global Insight, Bertelsmann Foundation, World Justice and Varieties of Democratic Project (V-Dem) – had carried out survey of CPI in Nepal.
The survey was carried out on various topics including work performance of public office holders, access of civil society in information, import, export, public service, contract, judicial decision, trade, business, corruption, bribe, misuse of public post by the representatives of government, parliament, judiciary and security bodies for personal interest.
Transparency Intentional (TI) unveils Corruption Perceptions Index every year.
TI uses a scale of zero to 100, where zero is the most corrupt and 100 is the least corrupt. A score below 50 is considered as having a relatively higher level of corruption in a country.
The CPI global average remains unchanged at 43 for the eleventh year in a row, and more than two-thirds of countries have a serious problem with corruption, scoring below 50.
Denmark (90) tops the index this year, with Finland and New Zealand following closely, both at 87. South Sudan (13), Syria (13) and Somalia (12), all of which are embroiled in protracted conflict, remain at the bottom of the CPI.
In his message, chief executive officer of TI Daniel Eriksson said leaders could fight corruption and promote peace all at once. “Governments must open up space to include the public in decision-making, from activists and business owners to marginalised communities and young people.”
He expressed belief that in democratic societies, people could raise their voices to help root out corruption and demand a safer world for us all.
Monday, December 26, 2022
New government promises economic austerity, effective service delivery
The newly formed government led by Prime Minister Puspa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' has promised economic austerity and effective service delivery.
The first cabinet meeting of Prime Minister Dahal decided not to take the increased salary for the current fiscal year. The budget for the current fiscal year 2022-23 has increased the salary of the government officials, including the ministers. Due to economic crisis, the erstwhile government failed to mobilise the revenue not only falling short of the target but also failing to meet the recurrent expenditure.
Dahal, in the cabinet, also instructed to prioritise good governance, better service delivery and end the hassles faced by people while obtaining passports and licenses. The eight-member cabinet also decided to make arrangements to ensure that citizens can obtain essential documents like passports and driving licences without waiting long in queue. Passport and driving licence-obtaining processes in Nepal are complicated and mismanaged, which has forced service seekers to stand in queue for hours from early morning. Likewise, there is a lot of complaints of bribery and forgery.
The new government has decided to make efforts to reform the service delivery of government offices to make the public feel change.
Talking to journalists after the first cabinet meeting today evening, Dahal said the cabinet has been formed as per the people's mandate. "Challenges galore ahead," he said, adding that the first meeting of his cabinet decided to take stock of the economic crisis and identify solutions.
Earlier in the afternoon, Dahal also instructed not to buy extravagant goods at Baluwatar, the official residence of the Prime Minister, where he will be shifting day after.
According to Prime Minister Dahal's personal secretary Ramesh Malla, the Prime Minister has instructed not to buy any luxury goods for his use. Dahal courted controversy, during his first tenure as Prime Minister, as he was blamed for buying a bed worth Rs 1 million for him.
Dahal was sworn-in as the 44th Prime Minister of Nepal at the President Office at Sheetal Niwas today and formed an eight-member cabinet immediately.
Tuesday, November 9, 2021
हजारको नोट छाप्न बन्द गरौं, अर्थतन्त्र सफा गरौं
भनिन्छ, हरेक समस्या तथा चुनौतीमा विज्ञ तथा व्यावसायिक मानिसले समाधान देख्छ, तर राजनीतिज्ञले हरेक समाधानमा समस्या देख्छ । नेपालमा यो भनाइ हुबहु मिल्छ, किनकि हरेक विषयलाई नेपालमा राजनीतीकरण गरिन्छ । नागरिकका दैनिन्दिनी समस्यामा पनि राजनीति हुने भएकाले मुलुकले राजनीतिक प्रणाली फेरिसके पनि आर्थिक क्रान्तिको जग बसाउन सकेन । यसबीच प्रचण्ड बहुमतको स्थिर सरकारले पनि अर्थतन्त्रलाई सुधार गर्नुको साटो झन् बढी बिचौलियाकरण गरेर छोड्यो । वर्तमान सरकारले अर्थतन्त्रको समस्या बुझ्ने मेसो नपाउँदै मुलुक विकराल समस्यातर्फ उन्मुख देखिन्छ । त्यसैले सरकारले आफ्नो दृढ इच्छाशक्तिको प्रदर्शन नगर्ने र यथास्थितिमा नै चल्ने हो भने अर्थतन्त्रको बिचौलियाकरण बढ्नेमात्र देखिन्छ । यसका समाधान खोज्न आवश्यक भइसकेको छ । सरकारी तथ्यांक तथा बजारको तालमेल छैन । सरकारी बेवास्ताका कारण उपभोक्ता बजारमा हरेक दिन लाखौं रुपैयाँ ठगिन्छन् । किनकि महँगी बढ्नुमा लाचार उपभोक्ताहरू जिम्मेवार छन् नै, तर प्रमुख जिम्मेवार भने बिचौलिया हुन् र उनीहरूको पहुँच सरकारसम्म छ । मूल्यवृद्धि नियन्त्रण नहुँदा मुलुक असफल राष्ट्रतर्फ उन्मुख हुन्छ । तसर्थ, सरकारले उपभोक्ताको हित गर्ने तथा अर्थतन्त्रको सुधार गर्ने, कालोधनलाई नियन्त्रण गर्ने, भ्रष्टाचार अनि कालोबजारी नियन्त्रण गर्न पनि डिजिटल अर्थतन्त्र कार्यान्वयनमा ढिलाइ गर्नु हुँदैन ।
हजारजस्ता ठूला दरका नोट छाप्न बन्द गरेर ठूला कारोबार बैंकिङ च्यानलमार्फत मात्र गर्ने तथा साना कारोबारमा मात्र नोटको प्रचलनमा ल्याउन प्रोत्साहन गर्ने हो भने एकातिर उपभोक्ता हित संरक्षण हुन्छ भने अर्कातिर यसले डिजिटल अर्थतन्त्रमा फड्को मार्न मद्दत गर्छ । कोरोना महामारीले विश्वभर पढाएको पाठ नेपालले सिक्दै डिजिटल अर्थतन्त्रलाई कार्यान्वयनमा ल्याउन ढिलाइ गर्नु हुँदैन । यो अवसरको सदुपयोग गरौं । यसबाट मुलुकको दीर्घरोग भइसकेको भ्रष्टाचार तथा कालोबजारी एवं कालोधनको ओसारपसार एवं अनौपचारिक अर्थतन्त्रलाई पनि औपचारिक अर्थतन्त्रभित्र ल्याउन सहज हुन्छ ।
पछिल्ला चार वर्षमा नेपाली अर्थतन्त्र झन् बढी अनौपचारिक तथा छाया अर्थतन्त्रमा रूपान्तरण हुँदै गइरहेको छ । सरकारले नै नीतिगत रूपमा अर्थतन्त्रलाई अनौपचारिक तथा छाया अर्थतन्त्रमा रूपान्तरण गर्ने भूमिका खेलेको छ । त्यसैले अब सरकारले आफ्नो नीतिगत गल्तीलाई सुधार गरी अर्थतन्त्र सफा गर्ने अवसर आएको छ । यो मौका किन पनि महŒवपूर्ण छ भने कालोधनविरुद्धको नेपालको आफ्नो प्रतिबद्धताको अब आउने केही महिनामा नै परीक्षण हुँदै छ । त्यसमा नेपालले आफ्ना कानुनी तथा नीतिगत सुधारका फेहरिस्त प्रस्तुत गर्नुपर्नेछ । क्षेत्रीय सञ्जाल एसिया प्रशान्त समूह (एपीजी) मार्फत नेपाल पनि एफएटीएफको सदस्य रहेकाले सम्पत्ति शुद्धीकरणका विषयमा उसले नेपालको मूल्यांकन सार्वजनिक गर्नेछ । त्यसमा नेपालको कानुनी, प्राविधिक र संस्थागत संरचनाका विषयहरूमा मूल्यांकन हुनेछ, जसमा नेपाल अझै खैरो सूचीमा पर्ने सम्भावना रहेको छ । यसअघि पनि नेपाल निगरानीमा परिसकेको हुनाले नेपालले कालोधनविरुद्धको आफ्नो प्रतिबद्धता यसपटक व्यवहारमा पनि देखाउन आवश्यक छ । तसर्थ ठूला नोट छाप्न बन्द गर्ने, ठूला कारोबारलाई बैंकिङ प्रणालीमार्फत मात्र प्रोत्साहित गर्ने जस्ता कार्यले नेपालको कालोधनविरुद्धको अभियानमा विश्वले विश्वास गर्ने वातावरण बन्छ । घरजग्गालगायत विविध कारोबारमा न्यून मूल्य देखाएर गरिने करछलीलगायतका सरकारलाई राजस्वमा भइरहेको नोक्सानलाई पनि यसले सम्बोधन गर्न सक्छ । अझ महत्वपूर्ण विषय त नेपाल डिजिटल अर्थतन्त्रको युगमा प्रवेश गर्नेछ । साथै, एक तथा दुई रुपैयाँका साना नोट प्रशस्त छाप्दा बजारमा भइरहेको खुद्रा मूल्यवृद्धिलाई पनि नियन्त्रण गर्न सकिन्छ । हाल बजारमा अनुभव भइरहेको मूल्यवृद्धि र नेपाल राष्ट्र बैंकको तथ्यांकमा आउने मूल्यवृद्धिको फरक पनि घटाउन मद्दत गर्नेछ । तसर्थ, हजारको नोट छाप्न बन्द गरौं र एक, दुई, पाँच, दस, बीस, पचास, सय र पाँच सयको नोट मात्रै छापौं ।
(https://www.karobardaily.com/news/163413)
Tuesday, November 24, 2020
More than half Nepalis believe corruption increased in a year
More than the half population in the country thinks corruption has increased in Nepal in last one year, according to a report released by the Transparency International (TI).
Some 58 per cent of Nepalis – the highest in Asia – think corruption has increased in the country in past 12 months, the report reads, adding that corruption is pervasive in Nepal. “Specifically, corruption is an issue in government procurement, mainly involving politicians and bureaucrats, as well as public service delivery, with citizens facing problems even in critical sectors like health and education."
The bribery rate is 12 per cent, the report adds.
Nepalis perception of the state of corruption in the country is the worst among the 17 countries and territories surveyed by the Transparency International (TI). People perceive corruption at all levels of government in Nepal, from the top to the local level.
Unfortunately, there are many examples where corruption pervades daily life, including a high profile land grab case involving senior public officials and the illegal transfer of state property, it reads
Though Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has repeatedly vowed to control corruption, his administration has done little to combat it. On the contrary, Oli has defended cabinet colleagues, who have been named in corruption scandals, while critics raise concerns that the independent anticorruption agency has not pursued any grand corruption cases.
People’s growing frustrations with government and apathy towards corruption have spurred the ‘Enough is Enough’ campaign (COVID 19) street protests and support for Dr Govinda KC’s medical-sector reform agenda, the report reads, adding that a truly committed political leadership and a strong people’s movement are essential to control increasing corruption.
According to the TI report, some 84 per cent of Nepalis think corruption in government is a big problem, whereas some 37 per cent of people think the government is doing badly tackling corruption. “But some 62 per cent of people think the government is doing well in tackling corruption.”
Likewise, some 12 per cent people paid bribe for public service in the past 12 months, whereas some 29 per cent used personal connection for public service in past 12 months, the report reads, adding that some 13 per cent also offered bribes in exchange of votes. “Some 7 per cent experienced sextortion or know someone who has.”
The report has also revealed that people in President and Prime Minister’s office are the most corrupt. “Some 50 per cent or half of the people in President and Prime Minister’s office are corrupt,” the report reads, adding that some 43 per cent of Members of Parliament, and government officials are corrupt. “Likewise, 40 per cent of local government officials, 35 per cent business executives, and 28 per cent police is also corrupt.”
Bankers are the least corrupt as 13 per cent of bankers are corrupt – which is very unusual – followed by Army leaders – with 18 per cent – are corrupt, according to the TI report. “The 27 per cent of non-government offices (NGOs), some 24 per cent of judges and magistrates, and 23 per cent religious leaders are also corrupt,” the TI report adds.
Corruption remains a major problem in Asia, damaging trust in government
A report released today by Transparency International (TI) reveals that citizens across 17 countries in Asia report stagnant or rising levels of corruption, undermining equitable access to public services and trust in government.
The report, ‘Global Corruption Barometer – Asia’, finds that three-quarters of respondents believe that government corruption is a big problem in their country, with nearly one in five people (19 per cent) paying a bribe when accessing public services in the previous year. This is equivalent to about 836 million people.
In addition to bribery, the use of personal connections to access public services is also prevalent across Asia. The results found that more than one in five people (22 per cent), who accessed public services used their personal connections to receive the assistance they needed.
When asked why, 24 per cent of people who paid bribes said they were asked to do so, while 30 per cent of people, who used personal connections said they would not have received the service otherwise. This suggests that people are paying bribes to speed up essential services, highlighting red tape and inefficient bureaucracy, while pushing those without the means at their disposal to the back of the queue.
Age is another important factor. Young people aged 18 to 34 are more likely to pay a bribe or use personal connections than any other age group.
The survey also found corruption around elections is also prevalent. Nearly one in seven people were offered bribes in exchange for votes at a national, regional or local election in the past five years.
“Protecting the integrity of elections is critical to ensuring that corruption doesn’t undermine democracy,” said chair of Transparency International (TI) Delia Ferreira Rubio. “Throughout the region, election commissions and anti-corruption agencies need to work in lockstep to counter vote-buying, which weakens trust in government.”
Across Asia, more than three out of four people (76 per cent) are familiar with the anti-corruption agency in their country, of which, 63 per cent think that the agency is doing a good job.
In addition, people across the region are hopeful about the future of anti-corruption. More than three in five (62 per cent) think that ordinary people can make a difference in the fight against corruption.
Please read the GCB Asia 2000 Report for more information on Nepal.
Through chapters in more than 100 countries and an international secretariat in Berlin, Transparency International (TI) has been leading the fight against corruption for the last 27 years.
Sunday, July 26, 2020
Anti-graft body wants to investigate corruption in private sector
Speaking during an interaction on the annual report of the commission at the Parliamentary Committee on Good Governance today, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has said that it should be allowed to investigate the corruption cases of the private sector. “The commission should be authorised to investigate the corruption cases in the private sector that are directly concerned with the public,” secretary at the CIAA Suresh Adhikari said. “The investigations into the irregularities in banks and financial institutions (BFIs) – where the public has a huge investment – should be under the domain of the CIAA,” he claimed, adding that the CIAA should have the authority to look into the corruption in the cooperatives, banks and financial institutions. “We are not talking about all private institutions.”
The private sector, however, is against the CIAA demand. They have met with the Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and complained about the government’s proposed bill that is going to give the CIAA extra teeth to bite private sector also. The premier has then halted the bill for the time being.
The participating lawmakers have, however, blamed the CIAA for not taking action on bid corruption cases and focusing on the small cases only. “The trend of political appointment in the CIAA has helped corruption flourish in the country,” lawmaker Bijay Subba said, arguing that the rate of corruption can be significantly brought down, if the system of political appointment to the public posts is not practiced. “Political pressure is a key factor to escalate corruption.”
The lawmakers, on the occasion, also blamed the CIAA for its failure in controlling the cases of corruption at the local level. Questioning the system of political appointment of the CIAA chief and other commissioners, the lawmakers concluded that there is no meaning of complaining about the commission unless it is free from politics.
“The poor can never be corrupt, however, those who hold power and post are highly indulged in abusing their authority,” another lawmaker Janardan Sharma said, accepting that the political sector has turned out to be the most corrupt one.
According to the annual report presented by the CIAA, most corruption complaints were related to local governments in the last fiscal year 2019-20. “Of the total complaints filed at the CIAA, some 26.87 per cent are related to irregularities at the local level, while some 16.95 per cent cases are related to the education sector followed by 8.34 per cent in land administration, some 4.6 per cent in forest and environment and 3.98 per cent in health and population. “Likewise, some 8.53 per cent cases registered in the last fiscal year were related to fake credentials and 7.61 per cent to acquiring property illegally.”
Though the commission claimed that it has registered a record cases in the last fiscal year, most of them are petty corruptions. The incumbent cabinet ministers have been allegedly involved in the large corruption cases, and the parliamentary committees are also investigating the charges, but the CIAA has not been interested to investigate them, the lawmakers also blamed.
Sunday, December 22, 2019
Red tape, auditing malpractice major causes of corruption
As the country is implementing the federal system, there is a rise in the misappropriation of the state fund, reveals a survey report 'Study on Corruption and Good Governance in Nepal-2018' released last year. “During the period, the anti-graft body carried out 94 sting operations,” it reads, adding that the anti-graft body has registered 351 cases at the Special Court, the highest number in the history of the CIAA, in the last fiscal year, whereas it had conducted some 142 sting operations – also a record high – bringing 200 public officials to book.
Speaking at an event organised by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nepal (ICAN) today, the CIAA chief commissioner Nabin Kumar Ghimire said that corruption cases have been on the rise, mainly at the local government level. “The commission has started rigorous watch on officials at the local units.”
The survey report also reveals that only land revenue offices are more corrupt than local units. “Most of the complaints are related to quantity and quality of supplied goods, substandard construction, awarding contracts without following due procedures, budget misappropriation, illegal mining of aggregate, distribution of social security allowance, and misuse of office facilities.”
The participants though stressed on poor auditing process and fraudulent financial reporting as the reasons behind corruption, Ghimire sought effective role of chartered accountants (CAs) to check the cases of financial misappropriations in public offices.
The Corruption Perception Index 2019 released by the Transparency International (TI) also reveals that Nepal's position fell two notches to 124 in 2018.
Business leaders, on the occasion, also expressed concern over the expanding shadow economy and falling quality of development work due to increasing corruption, which has also increased cost of doing business.
Sunday, December 8, 2019
Political patronage encouraging corruption: CIAA
Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) – issuing a report today – revealed that no action against the corrupt due to political patronage has helped increase the corruption. The CIAA has surveyed on 3,000 people of 15 districts in the 7 provinces to find out the root cause of corruption.
“Of the total respondent, some 71.5 per cent opines that non action has increased the corruption, whereas some 37.2 per cent suggests political patronage, and some 36.8 per cent believes that expensive electoral system has led to the corruption,” the survey revealed, adding that corruption starts from the level of programme planning to implementation level.
Thus, the CIAA has asked the local governments to follow the Public Procurement Act (PPA) to check numerous irregularities, in which they – in collusion with local consumer committees and their officials – are involved in.
“The local governments have not bothered to follow the law and have been disbursing funds to contractors and other stakeholders in a haphazard manner,” the survey report reads, adding that it has been receiving number of complaints from people on various irregularities. “Consumer committees are being provided payments by local authorities in advance even before any work has started.
Consumer committees have been formed, when there the governments could not held local election for almost 20 years. They were supposed to be involved in the development activities in the local level during those years, when there were no local representatives to look at the even regular development activities. After the local elections were held after a gap of 20 years in 2017, it was largely expected that elected representatives will be accountable to the people and governance would improve. But continuation of consumer committees has become the root cause of corruption in the local bodies. Thus, the CIAA has also asked them to take action against the erring consumer committees.
The local bodies have been finalising reports of projects even before the concerned projects have been completed, reads the survey report. On the basis of the survey report the CIAA has directed all the local bodies to follow the proper laws, including the Local Government Operation Act and Public Procurement Act and its directives and guidelines to check irregularities.
The CIAA has received the highest number of complaints about irregularities at the offices related to the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration, which oversees the affairs of the local governments.
“Due to the use of heavy equipment for minor works, which could have been completed by utilising local human resources, the local people are becoming unemployed,” the report also reads, adding that the equipment are also not being leased in a competitive manner. “The local bodies have not bothered to listen to the needs of the people and are not utilising local human and natural resources.”
Thursday, April 25, 2019
Supreme Court stays LTO on Ncell tax
The Supreme Court has issued the temporary stay order as the Ncell has moved the Court against the Large Tax Payers Office (LTO) that has served Ncell a seven-day notice to pay its Capital Gains Tax (CGT) of Rs 39 billion within a week that expired on Monday. The telecommunications moved – on April 22 – to the Supreme Court seeking an order to vacate the LTO decision one day ago the expiry of the deadline.
The telecommunications company is, though, blamed for delaying to clear its tax liability, it has asked the Apex Court to reduce CGT to Rs 14 billion, as according to it, the LTO calculations is 'unjustifiable'.
The move to challenge the LTO's tax assessment at the apex court, which had earlier issued a verdict making Ncell and its parent company Axiata liable for the CGT dues, has been interpreted by some quarters as a tactic of the telecom to either avoid its tax liabilities or at least lower them.
The Ncell move has prompted calls on social media to boycott its services until it pays the government what it owes. It is even surprising that student unions and youth wings of political party that is in government, and loose civic groups have made a public appeal urging people 'not to use Ncell sim cards' until it pays the assessed tax. They have also accused Ncell of exploiting legal loopholes to delay and reduce its tax bill, though they have been mum on who and why allowed the TeliaSonera to leave the country without paying tax. They have also not asked to punish the then tax officials, prime ministers and finance minister, why they have let the TeliaSonera leave Nepal without paying CGT and who have assured the Axiata that it will not need to pay CGT, despite the largest deal in the country's corporate history.
"We urge the authorities to not take any anti-national decision like giving a tax exemption to Ncell,” reads a statement of government-affiliate four student and youth wings. They have also urged the public to boycott the services of the telecommunications company instead they should have pressurised the government – the ruling party and their mother organisation – to deal the case diplomatic. The government can still write the TeliaSonera – that is a government listed company in Sweden and settle the tax row or let the Court decide the case, instead of creating a mass against the joint venture company.
"If Ncell does not pay tax within 24 hours, we would like to inform through this statement that more programs will be announced to pile pressure,” the statement signed by Young Communist League's president Ram Prasad Sapkota, All Nepal National Free Students Union (ANNFSU) president Nabina Lama, Youth Association of Nepal president Ramesh Kumar Paudel and All Nepal National Independent Students Union-Revolutionary president Ranjit Tamang, reads.
The students unions move will not only send a terror chill in the foreign investors but also institutionalise the corruption. TeliaSonera has been said to paid huge sum to the party leaders to let it leave the country without paying tax after siging the billion-deal with Axiata.
“In filing the petition at the apex court, Ncell wants to buy more time until the case is finalised and it is also a ploy to avoid taxes,” said a lawyer Surendra Bhandari, who had pleaded in court on behalf of a group that filed the case leading to the verdict of the Supreme Court that Ncell and Axiata should pay CGT. "A video statement by Bhandari on this issue has been shared by over 14,426 users on Facebook."
Until Ncell pays the full amount of taxes, let's run a campaign not to use its Sim, he appealed, adding, "Only if we run this campaign will Ncell be compelled to pay what it owes in taxes. Otherwise it will skip taxes amounting to billions, causing a huge loss to the country."
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
Nepal ranks 124 in corruption perception index
Nepal's position has stayed the same as there was no headway to reduce corruption this year, the CPI-2018 report reads, adding that after the elections of 2017, corruption in the public sector, businesses and by government officials continue to plague the country.
In South Asia, Nepal ranks the third most corrupt country as Bhutan – ranked at 25 – is the lease corrupt country followed by India (ranked 78), Srilanka (at 89), Pakistan (at 117), Maldives (at 124), Bangladesh (at 149) and Afghanistan at 172.
The CPI measures the extent of corruption within a country on a scale ranging from zero to 100. Countries securing higher scores are rated as the least corrupt and those with low scores are perceived to be the most corrupt. The annual Index is generated based on surveys conducted by the World Bank, World Economic Forum, Global Insight, Bertelsmann Foundation, World Justice Project and Varieties of Democracy (V-DEM).
TI has been publishing the report since 1995 but Nepal was included in the CPI report from 2004 AD.
"Two third of the countries – in the report – have scored below 50 with an average score of 43," according to the report. The CPI 2018 draws on 13 surveys and expert assessments to measure public sector corruption in 180 countries and territories. Since 2012, only 20 countries have significantly improved their scores, including Estonia and Côte D’Ivoire, and 16 have significantly declined, including, Australia, Chile and Malta.
"The inability to control corruption has threatened democracy across the world," it further reads, adding that highly corrupt countries are found to be repressive and authoritarian and curtail democratic practices. "Likewise, in lesser corrupt countries, there is rule of law, independent monitoring agencies, free press, and aware citizenry."
The CPI 2018 has also revealed that the continued failure of most countries, including Nepal, to significantly control corruption is contributing to a crisis of democracy around the world.
"With many democratic institutions under threat across the globe – often by leaders with authoritarian or populist tendencies – we need to do more to strengthen checks and balances and protect citizens’ rights,” managing director of TI Patricia Moreira said in a press release. "Corruption chips away at democracy to produce a vicious cycle, where corruption undermines democratic institutions and, in turn, weak institutions are less able to control corruption,” she added.
Transparency International has called on all governments to strengthen the institutions responsible for maintaining checks and balances over political power, and ensure their ability to operate without intimidation, close the implementation gap between anti-corruption legislation, practice and enforcement and support a free and independent media, and ensure the safety of journalists and their ability to work without intimidation or harassment to make real progress against corruption and strengthen democracy around the world.
Denmark – with a score of 88 – is the least corrupt country in the world, whereas Somalia – with a score of 10 – is the most corrupt country in the world followed by New Zealand – with a score of 87 – and Nepal joins the club of 124th position with Djibouti, Gabon, Kazakhstan and Maldives.
"The score received by Nepal on the index suggests that the situation of corruption is worrisome," TI-Nepal press note reads.
Monday, January 7, 2019
CIAA files graft case filed against former NOC chief Khadka
The anti-graft body also made his wife Sharmila and another woman Amita Lama Sodemba, defendants in the case. "Khadka’s valid income was Rs 86.5 million but his expenditure and investment was worth Rs 273.08 million," a press note from the anti-graft body reads.
According to the press note, "Khadka earned a total salary of Rs 4.06 million since 15 March 2013 – when the probe began – but he made Rs 5.88 million from the sale of land, besides receiving Rs 2.92 million as gratuity and other benefits when he quit government service."
Likewise, he received Rs 1.5 million in the form of pension, the release reads, adding that he had a balance of Rs 27.15 million in more than 55 banks and banking institutions. "Khadka made a payment of Rs 18.02 million to different department stores through bank ATM cards."
During the probe period, Khadka also bought three houses, though he already has an ancestral house. He also made partial payments for two other houses and also bought 11 plots in Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur and Kavreplanchowk district, the CIAA has claimed. "Khadka kept property worth more than 70 million in the name of Amita Lama Sodemba, a resident of Budhanilkantha Municipality’s Ward No 4.
According to the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), it is one of the largest corruption cases related to illegal property in the country.
CIAA spokesperson Rameshwor Dangal – confirming that the anti graft body has moved the court against Khadka – said that the constitutional body has also been conducting a separate probe into Khadka's involvement in alleged corruption in purchase of land by the NOC. Under the supervision of Khadka, NOC was found to have purchased plots of land at a much higher cost than the prevalent market rates in Jhapa, Sarlahi, Chitwan and Rupandehi districts. "In fact, NOC paid up to four times more for plots in these areas compared to the government valuation of the plots."
The probe conducted by parliamentary committees under the previous parliament had claimed that there had been irregularity of a minimum of Rs 1.26 billion in the land purchased by the state-owned oil monopoly.
According to the Dangal, the CIAA probe revealed that Khadka not only earned illegal property but was also found to have hidden the property worth Rs 70 million in the name of other people. "The anti-graft body also confiscated the 'good for payment' cheque for Rs 8.98 million Khadka had issued to make advance payment to purchase a land in Budhanilkantha, Kathmandu."
Dangal said that the anti-graft body has demanded confiscation of his disproportionate assets kept in the name of Amita Lama Sodemba and his wife also.
According to CIAA press note, Khadka purchased a house in the name of Amita Lama Sodemba at CG Hills in Hatigauda, Kathmandu, for Rs 32.5 million and eight ana land in her name at Budhanilkantha, Kathmandu, for Rs 40.12 million. He has also purchased a vehicle in her name.
Khadka had also made a payment of Rs 30.50 million to buy another house in the name of Amita Lama Sodemba at old Mahankal VDC’s Ward No 4. "Khadka used to operate bank accounts held by Sodemba at NMB and Citizens Bank," it added.
Since his appointment to the top NOC post in January 2015, Khadka had been involved in several controversies. He was accused of awarding petroleum supply licence to a controversial private company – Birat Birat Petroleum – while the country was witnessing acute fuel shortage following border obstructions in 2015-16. He was also accused of arbitrarily distributing licences to open fuel stations across the country.
The government sacked Khadka from the post of NOC managing director on September 18 after he was accused of irregularities.
Saturday, July 7, 2018
स्वीस बैंक, कालो धन र लगानीको वातावरण
एकातिर नेपालका बैंकमा लगानीयोग्य रकमको अभाव प्रत्येक वर्ष दोहोरिइरहँदा निक्षेपकर्ताका परिचय नखुलेको स्वीस बैंकको पैसाले गैरकानुनी आर्जनको रकम हुन सक्ने प्रशस्त आधार भने दिएको छ । गोपनीयताकै कारण स्वीस बैंक संसारभरको कालोधन जम्मा हुने बैंकको रूपमा परिचित भएकाले पनि विश्वभरबाट कमिसन तथा भ्रष्टाचारजन्य क्रियाकलापलगायतबाट आर्जित गैरकानुनी आर्जन तथा कर छल्नका लागि स्वीस बैंकमा रकम जम्मा गर्ने होड चल्ने गर्छ ।
अवैध सम्पत्तिको त कुरै छोडौं, नेपाली कानुनअनुसार वैध रकम पनि नेपाली नागरिकले नेपाल राष्ट्र बैंकलाई जानकारी नगराई विदेशी बैंकमा राखेको प्रमाणित भए जरिवानासहित कैद सजाय हुने कानुनी व्यवस्था छ, तर पनि स्विट्जरल्यान्डको केन्द्रीय बैंकका अनुसार स्वीस बैंकमा अवैध ढंगले आर्जित गरि लुकाएर पैसा राख्ने विश्वका २०० मुलुकमा नेपाल १०९ औं नम्बरमा छ ।
पञ्चायतकालका अन्तिम वर्षहरूमा नेपालका सडकमा पम्फादेवीको नामका धेरै नारा लगाइन्थे । तत्कालीन राज्यशक्तिको केन्द्रमा रहेकी एक महिला पात्रलाई नेपालीको सम्पत्ति अवैध रूपमा स्वीस बैंकमा लगेर आफ्नो नाममा राखेको भन्दै सडकदेखि सदनसम्म नारा लगाउनेहरूमध्ये धेरैजना हाल मन्त्री भैसकेका छन्, तर ती महिलापात्र विस्मृतिमा पुगिसकेको अवस्थामा आज सत्ता जनताको हातमा छ र स्वीस बैंकमा बर्सेनि अबैध सम्पत्ति बढिरहेको छ । कसको हो त त्यो सम्पत्ति ? प्रश्न सरल छ तर उत्तर जटिल ।
नेपालजस्ता अति कम विकसित मुलुकदेखि अमेरिकाजस्ता विकसित राष्ट्रहरूका विशेषतः विभिन्न नेता, व्यवसायी, कलाकारलगायतकाले अकुत सम्पत्ति स्वीस बैंकमा थुपार्ने विषय नौलो नभए पनि पछिल्ला दिनमा यस्ता अकुत सम्पत्ति स्वीस बैंकमा थुपार्ने क्रम बढिरहेको तथ्यांकले देखाएकाले अवैध सम्पत्ति कानुनी रूपमा लुकाउन स्वीस बैंक प्रयोग बढिरहेको स्पष्ट छ । झन् नेपालजस्ता अल्पविकसित तथा कानुनलाई बटारेर आफ्नो स्वार्थमा प्रयोग गरिने सकिने देशहरूबाट अकुत सम्पत्ति थुपारिनु नौलो विषय नभए पनि यसले देशमा व्यावसायिक वातावरण नभएको तथा राजनीतिक दलका नेता भ्रष्टाचारको आहालमा चुर्लुम्म डुबेको सहजै अनुमान लगाउन सकिन्छ ।
कमिसन तथा भ्रष्टाचारजन्य क्रियाकलापबाट आर्जित धन देशभित्रै राख्दा कुनै असल र स्वच्छ छविको नेताको उदयले कानुनी रूपमै जफत हुने र कारबाहीमा परिने खतरा मोल्न नचाहेर स्वाभाविक रूपमा गोपनीयता कायम रहने विदेशी बैंकमा थुपार्नु नौलो कुरा रहेन । तर, एक दृढ निश्चयी तथा साँचो अर्थमा राष्ट्रवादी नेतृत्वको सरकार कुनै दिन यस देशमा बनेछ भने संविधान र कानुनअनुसार कारबाही त हुन्छ नै । विदेशको त कुरै छोडौं, पछिल्ला एक दशकमा नेपालभित्रै पनि धेरै असम्भवझैं लाग्ने घटनाहरू सम्भव भइसकेका छन् । यस्तै, गत साताको मलेसियाको घटना नेपालको सन्दर्भमा एउटा गतिलो उदाहरण हुनसक्छ । मलेसियाका पूर्वप्रधानमन्त्री नाजिव रज्जाक गत साता पक्राउ परे । भ्रष्टाचार अनुसन्धान गर्ने निकायले उनलाई मंगलबार पक्राउ गरेको थियो । सरकार भ्रष्टाचारमा लिप्त भएपछि गत महिनामात्र मलेसियामा ९२ वर्षीय महाथिर महोम्मद फेरि प्रधानमन्त्री चुनिएका थिए । महाथिरले निर्वाचनमा आफ्नै पार्टीका नाजिवलाई पराजित गर्दै प्रधानमन्त्रीमा निर्वाचित भएका हुन् । मलेसियामा बढ्दो भ्रष्टाचारसँगै महाथिरले आफ्नै पार्टीका नाजिवविरुद्ध नयाँ पार्टी स्थापना गरी आन्दोलन छेडेका थिए ।
मलेसिया स्वीस बैंकमा धेरै रकम जम्मा गर्ने देशको सूचीमा पाँचौ स्थानमा रहेको छ । यस्तै, स्वीस बैंकमा धेरै रकम आउने देशमा पहिलो नम्बरमा चीन पर्छ । चीनपछि रूसबाट धेरै रकम आउने गरेको स्वीस बैंकको प्रतिवेदनले देखाएको छ । त्यसपछि धेरै रकम आउने देशमा मेक्सिको तेस्रो र छिमेकी भारत चौथो स्थानमा छ ।
संयुक्त राष्ट्रसंघको तथ्यांकअनुसार विकासशील देशबाट मात्रै वार्षिक १ खर्ब डलर रकम स्वीस बैंकमा जम्मा हुने गर्छ । पछिल्ला १० वर्षमा विकासशील देशबाट बाहिरिएको रकम ती देशहरूले प्राप्त गर्ने आर्थिक सहयोग र प्रत्यक्ष वैदेशिक लगानी भन्दा धेरै रहेको पनि राष्ट्रसंघले जनाएको छ ।
अर्थात्, जुन देशमा भ्रष्टाचार धेरै छ, लगानीको वातावरण छैन र सत्ताको आडमा अकुत सम्पत्ति कमाउन सकिन्छ त्यस्ता गैरकानुनी आर्जन सहजै नक्कली कम्पनीको नामबाट ट्याक्स हेभेन देशका कम्पनीमार्फत स्वीस बैंकमा जम्मा गरिन्छ । यसको अर्थ विकसित देशबाट स्वीस बैंकमा पैसा जम्मा हुँदै न भन्न खोजिएको होइन, तर प्रतिवेदन सरसर्ती हेर्दा अविकसित अवस्थामा रहेका देशहरूबाट यस्तो अवैध रकम गैरकानुनी रूपमा बाहिरिने क्रम बढिरहेको देखिन्छ ।
नेपाललगायतका विकासशील देशहरूमा स्वीस बैंकमा पैसा पुर्याउन ‘हवाला कन्ट्र्याक्टर’ अर्थात् ‘मध्यस्थ ठेकेदार’ रहेका हुन्छन् । भारतीय पत्रिकाहरूका अनुसार, भारतमा यस्ता ठेकेदारहरूले केही कमिशन लिएर जुन देशमा जुन व्यक्तिको बैंक खातामा पैसा पठाउन चाहेको हो त्यस खातामा पैसा पुर्याउने काम गर्छन् । यस्ता ‘मध्यस्थ ठेकेदार’हरू नेपालजस्ता देशमा पनि जोसुकै सत्तामा रहे पनि निरन्तर सत्ताकै वरिपरि भेटिनु अचम्म होइन ।
यसरी अवैध रूपमा कालोधनलाई लुकाउन वा सेतो बनाउन धेरैजसो राजनीतिक व्यक्तिलाई आवश्यक पर्छ । किनकि स्रोत नखुलेका कमिसन वा भ्रष्टाचारजन्य क्रियाकलापबाट आर्जित अकुत धन देशभित्रै राख्दा कुनै पनि दिन सत्ताको उलटफेरमा गुम्न सक्ने खतरा रहेकोले पछिल्ला वर्षहरूमा अकुत सम्पत्ति देश बाहिर राख्ने चलन चलेको बढेको देखिन्छ ।
अर्को, व्यवसायीहरू पनि स्वीस बैंकमा अकुत सम्पत्ति राख्ने गरेको बताउँछन्, तर जसरी २०४६ सालपछि बनेका कुनै पनि सरकारले पम्फादेवीको स्वीस बैंकको सम्पत्तिका बारेमा कुनै प्रमाण प्रस्तुत गर्न सकेनन्, त्यस्तै व्यवसायीले स्वीस बैंकमा पैसा राख्ने बजार हल्ला पनि जनतालाई झुक्याउन वा पपुलिस्ट हुन मात्रै चलाइएका हुन् भनेर किन नभन्ने ।
२०५२ सालदेखि नेपालमा सुरु भएको माओवादी द्वन्द्वले सयौंको संख्यामा नेपाली उद्योगमा मजदुरलाई शोषण गरेको नाममा आफ्नो राजनीतिक स्वार्थ पूरा गर्न ताला लगाउनेदेखि आगो लगाउनेसम्म गरे । उद्योगी–व्यवसायीहरू त्यसपछि कम जोखिम भएको व्यापारतिर लागे, उद्योग खोल्न छोडे । हैन भने नेपालमा कुनै समय प्रतिष्ठित घरानाबीच उद्योग खोल्ने होडबाजी नै चलेको थियो । केही उग्र विचारधारा बोक्ने दलका कार्यकर्ताहरूले दोषरोपण गरेझैं उद्योगी–व्यवसायीले मानौं कर छलेका नै रहेछन् भने पनि यदि देशमा औद्योगिक वातावारण छ भने उक्त पैसाबाट उद्योगीले फेरि अर्को उद्योग खोल्छ र रोजगारी सिर्जना गर्छ ।
तर राजनीतिक प्राणीले भने अवैध रूपमा कमाएको सम्पत्ति देखाउन पनि नमिल्ने र नेपालभित्रका बैंक तथा वित्तीय संस्थामा राख्न पनि नमिल्ने कारणले विदेश पलायन गर्ने गर्छ । नियमित लोडसेडिड, लगातारको मजदुरको आन्दोलन, महँगो तर चाहिएझैं योग्यता तथा सीपविहीन कामदार, नियमितझैं नेपालबन्दजस्ता कारणले पछिल्लो एक दशकमा नेपालमा औद्योगिक वातावरण थिएन, उद्योगधन्दा बढेका थिएनन्, युवाहरू रोजगारीको लागि खाडी तथा मलेसिया पलायन भइरहेको थिए, तर उच्च राजनीतिक नेतृत्वको सम्पत्ति भने बढि नै रहेको थियो र बढिरहेको थियो— स्वीस बैंकमा पछिल्लो एक दशकमा नेपालीको निक्षेप चार गुनाले, घामझैं झर्लङ्ग छैन र ?
यस्तै, देशभित्रै पनि कालो धनलाई सेतो बनाउन सम्पत्ति शुद्धीकरणमार्फत दायर भएका मुद्दामा सरकार धमाधम हार्दै गइरहेको छ र सानादेखि ठूला डन फटाफट अदालतबाट शुद्धीकरण हुँदै निस्किरहेका छन् । अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय दबाबले गर्दा नेपालले जबर्जस्ती ल्याउनुपरेको सम्पत्ति शुद्धीकरण ऐन, कानुन तथा विभागको हालत के छ, त्यो पनि सबैलाई थाहा छ ।
यसै सन्दर्भमा, केही वर्षअघि कालो धनबारे संसद्को अर्थसमितिले यसबारेमा छलफल पनि चलाएको थियो । तत्कालीन संसदीय समितिका सदस्यहरू हाल मन्त्री भइसक्नुभएको छ ।
नेपालमा आजका प्रगतिशील तथा प्रजातन्त्रप्रेमी सबै राजनीतिक दलका कार्यकर्ताले पञ्चायतलाई गाली गर्दा भन्ने सबैभन्दा प्रचलित एउटा शब्द थियो, ‘प्रतिक्रियावादी राज्यसत्ता’ । करिब ७ दशक लामो राजनीतिक संक्रमण सकिएर स्थिर सरकार बनेपछि नेपालीको आशा अब आर्थिक क्रान्ति हुन्छ र समृद्ध नेपाल बन्छ भन्ने अझै छ । तर, सरकारका पछिल्ला गतिविधि हेर्दा प्रगतिशील राजनीतिक दलको सरकार पनि प्रतिक्रियावादी हुन लागेको त होइन भन्ने ठूलो आशंका उठेको छ । दशकौंदेखि बालुवाटारको प्रतिक्रियामात्र सुनेका र भोगेका तर क्रिया नदेखेका नेपालीका लागि करिब दुईतिहाइको बहुमतको सरकारले केही क्रिया गर्ला, देशमा काम गरेर खाने वातावरण बन्ला, देशभित्रै रोजगारी सिर्जना होला भन्ने आस गर्नु अपराध त होइन होला । तर, सरकार समृद्धिका गफ मात्रै गर्ने, समृद्धिका लागि गर्नुपर्ने अत्यावश्यक व्यावाायिक वातावरण बनाउन चाहिने कानुन निर्माणजस्ता क्रिया गर्न छोडेर समाज तथा बजारमा भएका क्रियाकलापमा प्रतिक्रिया मात्रै गरिबस्दा नेपाल कसरी समृद्ध हुन्छ, प्रश्न सोध्न त पाइन्छ नि ?
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Nepal third most corrupt country in South Asia
Among 176 countries ranked on the CPI 2016, Nepal has been placed at the 131st position with a score of 29. With a score of 27, Nepal was ranked 130th among 168 countries on CPI 2015, according to the global anti-corruption watchdog.
With increasing corruption in the country, Nepal has dropped one spot down to 131st position compared to last year though Nepal gained two points in this year’s index from 27 in 2015.
TI Nepal chapter attributed the slip in Nepal’s position to ineffective mechanisms put in place to curb corruption. The corrupt leapt like a rabbit while the agencies responsible for curbing corruption slow-paced like a tortoise,” said TI Nepal chapter chairman Shree Hari Aryal at a press meet today.
With a score of 65, Bhutan is ranked 27th whereas with a score of 40, India has been ranked 79th. Likewise, Maldives and Sri Lanka are at the 95th position. With a score of 32, Pakistan is ahead of Nepal on CPI 2016 at the 116th position.
According to CPI 2016, New Zealand is the least corrupt country while Somalia is the most corrupt country in the world. According to the report, Denmark and New Zealand are at the top of the charts as the least corrupted country with 90 points followed by Finland, Sweden and Switzerland with 89, 88 and 86 points respectively. "But, Somalia is the most corrupted country and lies at the bottom of the table with only 10 points."
According to the TI, unaccountable governments, lack of oversight, insecurity and shrinking space for civil society, pushing anti-corruption action, high-profile corruption scandals, in addition to everyday corruption issues, undermined public trust in government and the benefits of democracy and the rule of law were among the indicators to determine the position.
Thursday, April 7, 2016
कालोधन ओसारपसार : शंकास्पद कारोबार तीव्र
नेपालमा ठूला विदेशी लगानीका आयोजना लगानी बोर्डले स्वीकृत गर्ने भएकाले स्वीकृति दिनुअघि उसले नै राम्ररी अनुसन्धान गर्नुपर्ने सम्पत्ति शुद्धीकरण अनुसन्धान विभाग स्रोतले जनाएको छ। बैंक तथा वित्तीय संस्थाले पनि ठूलो निक्षेप तथा कारोबार गर्दा विशेष सतर्कता अपनाउनुपर्ने स्रोतको दाबी छ।
सम्पत्ति शुद्धीकरण निवारण ऐन २०६४ को दफा ६ ले 'सेल कम्पनी' सँग कारोबार तथा उक्त कम्पनीको खाता सञ्चालनसमेत गर्न नहुने व्यवस्था गरेको विभागस्रोतले जनाएको छ। 'सेल भन्नाले भौतिक उपस्थितिबिनाको छाया कम्पनी बुझिन्छ, यस्ता कम्पनीको कुनै व्यापार–व्यवसाय हुँदैन तर कानुनी प्रक्रिया पूरा गरी दर्ता भएका हुन्छन्,' स्रोतले भन्यो, 'त्यही कानुनी प्रमाणका आधारमा एकबाट अर्को देशमा अवैध सम्पत्ति ऋण वा लगानीका नाममा ओसारपसार गरिरहेका हुन्छन्।' तर, नेपालको कानुनले यस्ता कम्पनीको कारोबार वा खाता सञ्चालनलाई गैरकानुनी मानेकाले बैंक तथा वित्तीय संस्था पनि कारबाहीमा पर्न सक्ने स्रोतको दाबी छ।
यसै कानुनअन्तर्गत नेपाल राष्ट्र बैंकले सेल कम्पनीसँग कारोबार नगर्न र गरेको भए विवरण उपलब्ध गराउन वाणिज्य बैंकलाई निर्देशनसमेत दिइसकेको छ।
यसअघि पनि बैंक तथा वित्तीय संस्थाले शंकास्पद वा १० लाखभन्दा बढीको कारोबार गर्नुपर्दा राष्ट्र बैंकअन्तर्गतको वित्तीय जानकारी इकाइलाई जानकारी गराउनुपर्ने व्यवस्था छँदै छ।
इकाइको वार्षिक प्रतिवेदनअनुसार पछिल्ला वर्ष बैंक तथा वित्तीय संस्थामार्फत शंकास्पद कारोबार संख्या बढेको देखिएको छ। अघिल्लो आर्थिक वर्ष २०७०–७१ मा ५ सय ७१ वटा यस्ता कारोबार भएको 'रिपोर्टिङ' थियो।
मुलुकमा राजनीतिक संक्रमण लम्बिँदै जाँदा नीतिगत अस्थिरता र कमजोर सरकारका कारण पछिल्ला तीन वर्षमा शंकास्पद कारोबार बढेको प्रतिवेदनले औंल्याएको छ। आर्थिक वर्ष २०६९–७० मा ३ सय ३३ वटा शंकास्पद कारोबार 'रिपोर्टिङ' भएकोमा आव २०७०–७१मा ४ सय २५ र गत आवमा ५ सय ७१ पुगेको हो। प्रतिवेदनअनुसार आर्थिक वर्ष २०६६–६७ मा यस्ता १ सय ७७ वटा कारोबार दर्ता थिए।
वित्तीय जानकारी इकाइप्रमुख हृषीकेश भट्टका अनुसार शंकास्पद मानिएका सबै कारोबार अवैध वा कालोधन नै रहेका ठोकुवा गर्न नसकिए पनि शंका लाग्नासाथ राजस्व अनुसन्धान विभाग वा अन्य सम्बन्धित निकाय पठाउने गरिन्छ।
धेरैजसो कर छली, भ्रष्टाचार, कालोबजारीजस्ता अवैध क्रियाकलापबाट आर्जित धन कुनै 'ट्याक्स हेभन' मुलुकमा कम्पनी दर्ता गरी त्यसमार्फत फेरि देशभित्र लगानी वा ऋणका नाममा भि'याउने गरिन्छ। यस्तो अपारदर्शी कारोबार गर्नेहरूले विभिन्न ठाउँमा लगानी गर्ने बहानामा कालोधन ओसारपसार गर्ने क्रम पछिल्ला दिन तीव्र देखिएको हो। पनामा पेपर्सले नेपालमा पनि त्यस्ता सात कम्पनीबाट कालोधन कारोबार भएको तथ्य सार्वजनिक गरेको छ।
यस्तै, सम्पत्ति शुद्धीकरण अनुसन्धान विभागले विभिन्न सरोकारवाला निकायबीच छलफल गरी यस्ता कारोबारको लगत राख्न सुरु गरेको विभाग महानिर्देशक दामोदर रेग्मीले बताए। राष्ट्र बैंकको वित्तीय जानकारी इकाइ, प्रहरीको केन्द्रीय अनुसन्धान ब्युरो (सिआइबी), राजस्व अनुसन्धान विभाग, अर्थ मन्त्रालयका अधिकारीबीच छलफलपछि 'पनामा पेपर्स लिक' प्रकरणमा नेपालीको सम्बन्ध र कारोबारका आधारमा रणनीति तय गरिने उनको भनाइ छ। 'यसमा वित्तीय संलग्नता, कर छली, आपराधिक गतिविधिमा संलग्न भएको वा अन्य कारोबार जे पनि हुन सक्छ,' रेग्मीले भने।
अघिल्लो वर्ष पनि स्विस बैंकमा खाता रहेका १३ नेपालीबारे खुलासा भएको थियो। विभागले सम्बन्धित व्यक्तिको 'प्रोभाइलिङ' सुरु गरे पनि पछि रोकिएको थियो। अब उक्त प्रक्रिया फेरि सुरु हुने रेग्मीले बताए।
'पनामा पेपर्स' खुलासाले विश्वभरका १ सय ४० भन्दा बढी राजनीतिज्ञ कर नलाग्ने 'ट्याक्स हेभन' मुलुकमार्फत आर्थिक कारोबारमा संलग्न रहेको तथ्य बाहिरिएपछि नेपालमा फेरि एकपटक अवैध सम्पत्ति आर्जन र सम्पत्ति शुद्धीकरणको मुद्दा पेचिलो बनेको छ।
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Nepal 15th most corrupt country in the world
According to the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2015 published by TI today, Nepal is the 15th most corrupt country globally on the basis of score, and 38th on the basis of ranking, it said, adding that Nepal is also third most corrupt in South Asia, after Afghanistan and Bangladesh.
Nepal with a score of 27 – out of 100 – ranks in 130th position among the 168 countries.
Nepal’s image as one the most corrupt countries in the world has taken a further beating as the country has slipped by four positions from last year, states the report titled 'Corruption still rife but 2015 saw pockets of hope'. Last year Nepal was placed 126th with a score of 29. Bhutan – the least corrupt country in the region – ranks 27 with a score of 65.
According to the report, overall weak governance and politics has dragged Nepal down.
Bhutan – the least corrupt country in the region – ranks 27 with a score of 65. In South Asia, India (76th position with a score of 38) ranks second – after Bhutan, Sri Lanka third Sri Lanka (83rd position with a score of 37) and Pakistan (117th position with a score of 30) ranks fourth, followed by Nepal, Bangladesh (139th position with a score of 25) and Afghanistan (166th position with a score of 11), states the report that has not listed Maldives in the index.
Nepal’s slip in ranking in the CPI has been attributed largely to public servants’ abuse of authority for personal gains and weak control over public servants.
“The survey shows action taken against public servants involved in abusing authority was weak,” said TI-Nepal’s president Bharat Bahadur Thapa, while releasing the CPI report in Kathmandu. “It indicates strong inclination among civil servants towards abusing authority for personal gains."
The performance of all the 3 state organs – judiciary, bureaucracy and legislature – has been reflected poorly in the TI survey. "It demonstrates government’s total indifference towards fighting corruption," Thapa said, adding that the rare commitments made by the government to adopt zero tolerance on corruption proved nothing but lip service.
Grand corruption is the abuse of high-level power that benefits the few at the expense of the many, and causes serious and widespread harm to individuals and society, the TI report reads, adding that it often goes unpunished. "Nepal continues to perform poorly and has been one of the most corrupt countries."
Conflict and war, poor governance, weak public institutions like the police and the judiciary, and a lack of independence in the media characterise the lowest ranked countries like Nepal.
Similarly, top performers share some key characteristics like high levels of press freedom; access to budget information so the public knows where the money comes from and how it is spent, high levels of integrity among people in power and judiciaries that don't differentiate between rich and poor and are truly independent from other parts of government," the report states.
The annual survey by the Berlin-based watchdog said the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) measures the extent of corruption within a country, on a scale ranging from zero to 100. Countries securing higher scores are rated as the least corrupt and the low scorers are perceived to be the most corrupt. Countries with a score below 50 are perceived as highly corrupt and those that secure 100 are the cleanest, according to TI. Among the lowest 38 countries most of the countries scores are equal making Nepal 15th most corrupt country in the world. Cameroon, Iran, Nicaragua, Paraguay and Ukraine also have scored equal to Nepal, and are 15th most corrupt countries on the basis of score.
Controlling corruption in Nepal remained a herculean task, with the anti-graft body officials themselves have been caught in bribery scandals and commissioners found taking dual state facilities. On top of that, there have been widespread allegations that the anti-graft body has been protecting the corrupt state oil monopoly as the Nepal Oil Corporation is involved in institutional corruption largely supported by the CPN-UML president and Prime Minister K P Oli, UCPN-Maoist supremo Puspa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', and the anti-graft agency's chief.
Experts see this grim situation, despite having 16 anti-corruption agencies including Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), as a systematic breakdown of rule of law. Nepal has broken the record of 2011, when it was ranked 154th among 182 surveyed countries, with a score of 2.2 on a scale of 0 to 10. Nepal last year was ranked 126th, out of 175 countries surveyed, with a score of 29.
A country's score can be helped by open government where the public can hold leaders to account, while a poor score is a sign of prevalent bribery, lack of punishment for corruption, and public institutions that don't respond to citizens' needs. The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) is based on expert opinions concerning public sector corruption.
Nepal has failed to improve either its country-wise ranking or its score in the index which shows Denmark to be the least corrupt country with a score of 91. Denmark (score 91), Finland (score 90), Sweden (score 89), New Zealand (score 88) and the Netherlands (score 87) are the five best performers, respectively, whereas Somalia, North Korea, Afghanistan, Sudan and South Sudan are the worst performers.
Afghanistan ranks as the third most corrupt country globally after North Korea and Somalia, and as the most corrupt country in South Asia, the report further shows.
The big decliners in the past four years include Libya, Australia, Brazil, Spain and Turkey. The big improvers include Greece, Senegal and the UK.
Corruption can be beaten, if we work together, the TI report has said, adding, "To stamp out the abuse of power and bribery and shed light on secret deals, citizens must together tell their governments they have had enough."
"The 2015 Corruption Perceptions Index clearly shows that corruption remains a blight around the world," said chair of TI José Ugaz. "But 2015 was also a year when people again took to the streets to protest corruption," he said, adding that people across the globe sent a strong signal to those in power: it is time to tackle grand corruption.
Saturday, December 19, 2015
Nepal ranks 118th in Forbes' business list
In South Asia, Nepal is behind Sri Lanka (91), India (97), Bhutan (101) and Pakistan (103) but ahead of Bangladesh (121).
The Forbes' ranking of the 'Best Countries of Business in 2015' is calculated on the basis of trade freedom, monetary freedom, property rights, innovation, technology, red tape, investor protection, corruption, personal freedom and tax burden.
Nepal is almost at the bottom of the ranking. innovation, technology, monetary freedom, trade freedom and corruption, coupled with political uncertainty and a difficult business climate affected the country's overall ranking, according to the report.
Likewise, the report further states that Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries (LDCs) in the world with one in almost four citizens living below the poverty line. "Nepal is also heavily dependent on remittances which amount to as much as 22 per cent to 25 per cent equivalent to the gross domestic product (GDP). Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, providing a livelihood for more than 70 per cent and accounting for a little over one-third of the economy," the report states.
Additional challenges to Nepal's growth include its landlocked geographic location, persistent power shortages, underdeveloped transportation infrastructure, civil strife and labour unrest, and its susceptibility to natural disaster, the report further clarified. "Lack of political consensus in the past several years has delayed national budgets and prevented much-needed economic reform, although the government passed a full budget in 2013 and 2014."
Denmark tops the list, followed by New Zealand, Norway, Ireland and Sweden, according to the report that has placed Chad at the bottom of the list.
Top 5
1. Denmark
2. New Zealand
3. Norway
4. Ireland
5. Sweden
Bottom 5
144. Chad
143. Guinea
142. Libya
141. Haiti
140. Myanmar
Sunday, November 8, 2015
Shadow economy expands thanks to government fecklessness
The spread of the shadow economy will hurt the country in the long run as the country will slip out of the government's hand, if the current situation continues, they said.
Former finance secretary Rameshwor Khanal said the economy is slipping out of the government's hands. "The economy is being hijacked by black-marketeers, smugglers and criminals," he said, adding that in the long run these elements will run the economy into the ground and that will also be bad for cross-border trade. "The economy in criminals' hands will eventually hit the cross-border trade too."
According to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Nepal's economy is worth around $21 billion.
"That is also about the size of the shadow economy," claimed economist Prof Dr Madan Kumar Dahal. "In economic parlance it is called the parallel economy," he said, adding that earnings from smuggling, corruption and black-marketteering are all part of this parallel or black economy, which will ruin the economy and country in the run long run.
Government fecklessness has not only left consumers helpless but also boosted the shadow economy.
Thus, suggesting that the government declare an emergency in view of the increasing shadow economy, Dahal said, "Nepal has turned into a banana republic." According to him, the country is suffering because of its complete dependency on one country and failure at trade diversification over the past few decades.
The prolonged Indian blockade has pushed the prices of essential commodities, includes petroleum products, to more than double. People are forced to pay anything between Rs 250 to Rs 500 per liter of petrol that costs only Rs 104 per liter. Consumers have been paying Rs 10,000 for a cylinder of cooking gas, which is priced at Rs 1,400. Likewise, the price of edible oil has increased to Rs 250 per liter from Rs 120 a month ago, whereas rice, lentils and pulses have also doubled in price. "But the government is nowhere to be seen," said president of Nepal Retailers Association (NRA) Pabitra Man Bajracharya, during an interaction with Nepal Republic Media today.
Admitting that the prices of some commodities have jumped, he said, wholesalers have been charging retailers high prices, citing supply constraints and increased transportation charges due to the fuel shortage.
The government has been doing nothing to control these market anamolies, he said, adding that officials at the Department of Commerce and Supply Management (DoCSM), who are responsible for controlling such malpractices in the market and maintaining uniformity in prices, are in no mood to intervene. "They just say that the need of the hour is to get supply of goods," he added.
President of Consumer Rights Investigation Forum Madhav Timalsina seconded Bajracharya's views. "Nepali consumers are probably going through the toughest time ever," he said, accusing traders of creating artificial shortages to push up price. "As the government has been doing nothing, unscrupulous traders are having a field day," he added.
Despite the open black-marketeering, the government has done nothing, Timalsina said suggesting the government to scrap the consumer laws altogether, if it cannot enforce them.
The shortage has created opportunity for corrupt bureaucrats, black-marketeers and smugglers to earn illegal money distorting the market.
"The distortion in the market could be corrected, if government could monitor and regulate market, and also normalise the supply system," Khanal said, however, adding that government should let the market function smoothly, without intervention.
Likewise, Finance Secretary Suman Prasad Sharma also accepted that high demand and low supply had encouraged black-marketeering. "But the government has to act fast to stop the economy from going to the dogs," Sharma said, claiming that the government is trying to build confidence in the market by regularising the supply-side.
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Nepal third most corrupt country in South Asia: Transparency International
Nepal has been ranked 126th this year with 29 score out of 100 among 175 countries, according to the Transparency International. The country was ranked 116th position in 2013 with a score of 31 among the 177 countries.
Bhutan – ranked 30th – maintained its clean image and succeeded in remaining on top among South Asian countries with 65 points. Last year, Bhutan – with 63 points – was ranked 31st among 177 countries.
Likewise, Bhutan has emerged as the least corrupt nation in South Asia securing 65 score behind India (rank 85) and Sri Lanka (rank 85) scoring 38 each. Afghanistan improved its score – by 4 points – this year, but it has remained on bottom among the South Asian countries.
The 20th edition of the Corruption Perception Index ranked Bangladesh at 145th and Pakistan at 126th position.
The Corruption Perception Index scores countries on a scale of zero to 100, with zero indicating high levels of corruption and 100, very clean.
More than two thirds of the 175 countries in the 2014 Corruption Perception Index have scored below 50, according to the Transparancy International that has placed Denmark on top of the chart with a score of 92, whereas North Korea and Somalia share last place, scoring just eight.
"The 2014 Corruption Perceptions Index shows that economic growth is undermined and efforts to stop corruption fade when leaders and high level officials abuse power to appropriate public funds for personal gain,” said chair of Transparency International José Ugaz, in his statement.
The fight against corruption has been a big challenge to developing countries, including Nepal, over the years, said chair of Transparency International Nepal Chapter Bharat Bahadur Thapa, releasing the Transparency International report in the capital today.
"We urge the government and other stakeholders to take initiatives to control corruption," he said, adding that the country has failed to control corruption since it was listed in the Corruption Perceptions Index some 11 years ago. "The report covers not only the corruption in public sector but also in the private sectors."
He also regretted that stakeholders including the government never took the Transparecny report seriously.
The Nepal report is based on the separate surveys conducted by five international organisations, Bertelsmann Foundation, World Bank, World Economic Forum, Global Justice Project and Global Insight.
Bertelsmann Foundation conducted the survey on action against those abusing authority, World Bank conducted survey on status of accountability and corruption status, World Economic Forum carried out survey on paying bribes to get professional and public services, whereas Global Justice Project surveyed on the abuse of authority by the government, judiciary and lawmakers for fulfilling vested interests. Likewise, the Global Insight had come out with survey on the impact of corruption in business sector.
South Asian countries – Rank
Bhutan – 30
India, Sri Lanka – 85
Nepal, Pakistan – 126
Bangladesh – 145
Afghanistan – 172