Maze of scandals

The surfacing of one after another corruption case is adding to public disenchantment with politicians.

How many scams have surfaced from inside the federal government in the past few weeks? Many may scratch their heads as they struggle to remember the cases from the past few weeks, let alone months. To end prolonged deadlock in parliament or douse people’s anger, the government invariably forms a probe panel. On Monday, July 15, CPN-UML lawmaker Raj Kumar Gupta resigned as minister of federal affairs after an audio clip was leaked, linking him to a bribery case. Those heard in the leaked audio also allege another incumbent minister Balaram Adhikari and former minister Ranjita Shrestha of being involved in the bribery. Following Gupta’s resignation, strong voices have been raised for a thorough investigation. Separately, on July 15, the Nepal Police formed a special team to investigate and identify the persons involved in suspected trafficking of some individuals to Spain under the pretext of participating in a United Nations conference in Seville, Spain, from June 30 to July 3. The government was compelled to investigate the matter after opposition lawmakers dragged Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, who was also attending the event, into the scam.