KATHMANDU, August 12: A sharp disagreement has emerged among parliamentarians over whether to impose a statute of limitations on corruption cases. The debate took place in the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee under the House of Representatives, where discussions were held on a proposal to amend the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2059.

One group of MPs argued that public officials should be subject to investigation for corruption throughout their lifetime, while another group contended that if a corruption case is not investigated within a certain period, the individual should be granted immunity. The proposed bill includes a provision that a corruption case must be initiated within five years from the date the offense is discovered. Currently, there is no such statute of limitations in the law.

MP and former minister Arjun Narasinh KC strongly opposed the five-year statute of limitations, stating that it could serve to protect corrupt individuals. He emphasized the need for a provision allowing for lifetime prosecution of those involved in corruption, arguing that imposing a statute of limitations would undermine public trust and national integrity.

Concerns were also raised about the potential for influential individuals to delay investigations, thereby benefiting from the proposed statute of limitations. Past instances where leaders and officials were acquitted due to the statute of limitations were cited as examples of the risks associated with such a provision.

Rastriya Swatantra Party MP Sobhita Gautam suggested that penalties for corruption should be classified based on the amount involved, with increasing prison terms for larger sums of money. She proposed sentences ranging from 8 to 20 years, depending on the scale of corruption.

On the other hand, MP Shyam Kumar Ghimire argued against the need for stricter penalties, suggesting that corruption cannot be eradicated solely through harsh punishments. He pointed to the example of China, where severe penalties, including the death penalty, have not eliminated corruption. MP Nagina Yadav also supported the idea of a statute of limitations, arguing that the government should not have the unlimited right to investigate individuals or organizations indefinitely.

The State Affairs and Good Governance Committee has called for a meeting on August 15 to further discuss the bill. Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, Chief Secretary Liladevi Gadtaula, and Chief Commissioner of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority Prem Kumar Rai have been invited to participate in the discussions.

Parliament Committee Seeks Details of Taragaon Development Committee’s Assets

A committee of the House of Representatives has directed the Taragaon Development Committee to submit details of its movable and immovable assets. The International Relations and Tourism Committee issued this instruction in response to concerns about the management and ownership of the five-star hotel Taragaon Regency Hotels (Hyatt) in Bouddha, Kathmandu.

The committee, chaired by Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation Minister Badri Prasad Pandey, held a meeting on Sunday with officials from the Taragaon Development Committee and the Taragaon Regency Hotels. During the meeting, Minister Pandey expressed concern that the government's ownership stake in the hotel has declined over time. While the government's share was originally 39.77% at the time of the lease agreement, it has now decreased to 9.01%.

The committee has instructed the ministry to revise the agreement between the Taragaon Development Committee and the hotel regarding the utilization of assets and to submit an action plan addressing the issues. The Taragaon Development Committee currently owns 304 ropani (approximately 15.4 hectares) of land in Boudha, Kathmandu, with the hotel occupying 150 ropani (approximately 7.6 hectares) under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model since 1992. The decreasing share of the government in the hotel has been a source of dispute between the committee and the hotel management since last year.