Nepal panel to probe property, assets

Nepal’s new government, led by rapper-turned politician Balendra Shah, has set up a panel to investigate the property and assets of past and present politicians and officials, a move aimed at controlling corruption in the Himalayan nation.

Shah, 35, became prime minister after his Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) scored a sweeping victory in the March 5 parliamentary election – the country’s first vote after the anti-graft ‘Gen Z” protests last September.

During his three-year stint as mayor of Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital city, Shah gained popularity for his fight against corruption and reformist credentials.

Sasmit Pokhrel, a cabinet spokesperson, said the five-member panel would be headed by Rajendra Kumar Bhandari, a retired Supreme Court judge.

“An impartial investigation will be carried out on the basis of evidence based on legal standards … Its report and recommendations will be implemented by concerned agencies of the government,” Pokhrel told reporters after a cabinet meeting late on Wednesday without mentioning the time frame given to the panel to complete work.

The probe is expected to cover hundreds of politicians and officials who held public offices after the movement that led to the abolition of the 239-year-old monarchy in 2008, analysts said.