Four ministers quit without disclosing assets

KATHMANDU, Jan 21: Four ministers from the government formed after the Gen Z movement under Prime Minister Sushila Karki have resigned to contest the House of Representatives election on March 5—without making their asset declarations public.

The former ministers—Kulman Ghising (Physical Infrastructure, Transport, Water Resources, Energy and Irrigation, Urban Development), Mahabir Pun (Education and Science and Technology), Jagdish Kharel (Communication and Information Technology), and Bablu Gupta (Youth and Sports)—stepped down without revealing their financial holdings.

While the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers’ (OPMCM) website lists that all ministers have “submitted their asset details,” the information remains confidential. Even the dedicated section for the prime minister’s and ministers’ assets is currently inaccessible.

At a press conference in December 2025, Minister Ghising said regarding the secrecy: “Within two months of assuming office, we sent our asset details to the cabinet.” He stressed that making the information public is the Prime Minister’s Office’s responsibility, not the ministers’.

Administrative experts highlight that asset disclosure is not just a formality but a matter of ethics and government accountability. “The prime minister and ministers are the main line of defense against corruption. Transparency in asset declaration is non-negotiable,” said one expert, urging the government to release the details immediately.

Currently, asset declarations submitted by other ministers—including Prime Minister Sushila Karki (Defence), Finance Minister Rameshore Khanal (Federal Affairs & General Administration), Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal, Anil Kumar Sinha (Industries, Commerce & Supplies; Culture, Tourism & Civil Aviation; and Law & Parliamentary Affairs), Madan Prasad Pariyar (Agriculture & Livestock Development), Sudha Gautam (Health & Population), and Minister Kulman Ghising—are available on the OPMCM website.

Since her appointment on September 12, 2025, PM Karki has expanded her cabinet five times—on September 15, September 22, October 27, December 12, and December 26—bringing the council to 15 members. The website notes that ten ministers have submitted their asset declarations.

Under Section 31 of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority Act, 2048 BS, the prime minister and ministers must submit asset declarations within 60 days of assuming office and within 60 days after the fiscal year ends. A source from OPMCM said PM Karki submitted the details three days past the deadline. Despite this, the declarations have not been made public, leaving ethical questions unanswered.

After the 2074 BS parliamentary elections, the government had made the asset details of PM KP Sharma Oli and his ministers public. Initially, all ministers disclosed their assets, though later appointees did not. The first decision to publicly release asset details within 15 days of assuming office was taken after the 2046 BS People’s Movement under PM Girija Prasad Koirala, with Sher Bahadur Deuba as Home Minister.

Since then, disclosure has been inconsistent: some governments made ministers’ assets public, while others—including the 2069 BS Regmi-led government—kept them confidential.