PM Dahal asks CIAA to continue work, commits full support

KATHMANDU: A day after the Parliament began deliberations on the impeachment motion against their chief Lok Man Singh Karki, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) commissioners on Wednesday held a meeting with Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

Led by the CIAA's acting chief, Deep Basnyat,the commissioners at Nepal's anti-corruption constitutional body went to see the Prime Minister at the latter's office in Singhadarbar.

According to the Rastriya Samachar Samiti, the meeting dwelt on the situation following the registration of impeachment motion against the CIAA chief on October 19.

Karki faces an automatic suspension after 157 lawmakers brought in the impeachment motion against him. Based on his seniority, Deep Basnyat has taken up the CIAA reins as the acting chief Karki is not allowed to discharge duties of his office for the time being as per the Article 101 (6) of Nepal’s Constitution.

The Prime Minister's press advisor Govinda Acharya, however, told the RSS today's meeting was a part of regular business.

Expressing his commitment to extend full support to it, Prime Minister Dahal urged the CIAA to continue its works as an independent and autonomous constitutional body as usual, according to Acharya.

Some people believe that Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal's party CPN Maoist Centre and the main opposition CPN-UML joined hands to push the impeachment motion against Karki after getting a tip that the CIAA was carrying out investigation into corruption cases that involved their leaders.

Talking to the BBC Nepali Service yesterday, one of Karki's aides, Sharad Adhikari, who was fired by the CIAA yesterday itself, claimed that the impeachment motion was brought in as a retribution after the CIAA's announcement to look into the corruption in the Maoist cantonments.

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