Parties ‘most corrupt’ institutions in Nepal

KATHMANDU, JUL 10 -
A world-wide corruption survey carried out by Transparency International (TI), an international corruption watchdog, has shown Nepal’s political parties as the most corrupt institutions in the country.

Seventy percent respondents surveyed in Nepal said political parties are the most corrupt. In 2011 report, only 53 percent respondents had blamed political parties for corruption.

The global survey called Global Corruption Barometer ranked public officials in second position and police in third followed by the parliament, judiciary, private sector, educational institution, NGO, health sector and religious institutions.

The report has listed the media the least corrupt institution in the country. The report says 34 percent of the respondents blamed self-centric power centres run the government.

Releasing the report in the Capital on Tuesday, TI-Nepal Chairman Bishnu Bahadur KC said: “Corruption is so rampant in the country that no one can contest the findings of the report.”

The international corruption watchdog has been conducting the survey every two years since 2003. Nepal started taking part since 2011.

The survey was based on interviews with 114,000 people in 105 countries. In Nepal, 1,000 households of 58 municipalities were surveyed.

The report says 57 percent respondents perceived that the level of corruption has increased significantly in the past two years, while 34 percent said that international power centres were behind government operation. Sixty-nine percent of the respondents have pointed out corruption at public service as major problems.

KC argued that national sovereignty was under threat due to growing corruption in the country. “Public should unite to fight corruption and save the country,” said KC. Former Chief Commissioner of the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority Surya Nath Upadhyay pointed out the irresponsible activities of political parties and prolonged transition as reasons behind the parties being pushed to the top of the corruption list.

“Political parties acted whimsically and there was no mechanism in place to oversee them, while the constitutional anti-corruption body remained ineffective for years,” Upadhyay said.

Minister for Labour and Employment Kumar Belbase was removed from the post after he was caught on camera demanding Rs 250,000 from 59 overseas employment agencies for office registration. Belbase’s predecessor Sarita Giri was also sacked from the post on charge of corruption.

Senior leaders of the UCPN (Maoist), including the party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and his deputy Baburam Bhattarai, have been accused of misusing around Rs 4 billion from the state coffers while allocating salary and allowances to the then Maoist combatants.

Over 400 complaints filed against top politicians, security officials, bureaucrats, among others have been filed at the CIAA on charge of accumulating properties without legal means.

Labels: Highlight, News