KATHMANDU, Nov 3: Three of the 13 ambassadors nominated by the government have failed to make it through the parliamentary hearing process, while the remaining 10 nominees, whose names were endorsed by the Parliamentary Hearing Committee (PHC), are still awaiting agrément from their respective host countries.
The nomination of Jigyan Kumar Thapa for Japan was the latest to fall through after he withdrew his name on Monday, taking the number of nominees who have dropped out of the process to three.
Thapa formally withdrew his nomination by submitting a letter addressed to the Parliamentary Hearing Committee. During a committee meeting held at Singha Durbar on Monday, he initially verbally informed the committee that he was withdrawing his name due to the conflict-of-interest controversy surrounding his nomination. He subsequently submitted a written application to committee chair Bodh Narayan Shrestha.
The committee had sought details about whether Thapa had renounced his permanent residency (PR) status in Japan. By Sunday, it had become almost certain that his nomination would not be approved, prompting the committee to schedule a meeting at Singha Durbar for Monday afternoon to make a decision.
During his confirmation hearing on October 14, lawmakers questioned Thapa about his Japanese PR status, Article 291 of the Constitution and when he had renounced his residency. Concerns over a possible conflict of interest arose after information emerged that his family members were permanent residents of Japan, that he had property and loan-related dealings there, and that he had received benefits and facilities from the Japanese government.
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Thapa had maintained that he had already renounced his PR status. According to sources, ruling parties had reached an understanding that he could be appointed ambassador to a country other than Japan but would not be sent to Japan.
The Cabinet had recommended ambassadors for 13 countries, including India, China and the United States, on September 18. At its meeting on October 14, the committee endorsed 10 nominees, rejected the nominations for Saudi Arabia and Malaysia, and deferred its decision on Thapa's nomination for Japan.
The nomination of Giribahadur Sunar for Saudi Arabia was unanimously rejected after questions were raised about his high moral character and suitability for the post. His past record and deportation from Germany were also discussed during the hearing.
Similarly, the nomination of Chudamani Kharel for Malaysia was unanimously rejected by lawmakers from all political parties represented in the committee, including the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and Nepali Communist Party. Kharel faced allegations of financial irregularities, and the committee concluded that he had failed to demonstrate high moral character.
Despite the ruling RSP holding a majority in the committee, the government's recommendations were rejected. According to parliamentary affairs experts, although the committee had previously declined to endorse the nominations of Chief Justice Deepak Raj Joshi and proposed Election Commissioner Krishna Man Pradhan, this is the first time nominees proposed for ambassadorial positions have been formally rejected.
The 10 nominees endorsed by the committee are for India, China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Israel, Oman, South Korea, Spain and Sri Lanka. However, endorsement by the committee does not automatically complete the appointment process. Under the law, agrément must first be sought from the respective host countries, and the president can formally appoint the ambassadors only after receiving their consent.
According to sources at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, letters seeking agrément were sent to the respective countries before Dashain. However, the ministry said it had yet to receive approval from any of the countries for the endorsed nominees.
Meanwhile, ambassadorial positions in nine countries, including Russia, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Myanmar, Bahrain and Egypt, are vacant or need to be filled. The government has begun separate preparations to make appointments to these positions.
Although the government claimed to have selected ambassadorial candidates through an open competitive process, the selection process has remained controversial from the outset. Questions have also been raised about whether the government itself followed the criteria it had set for the appointments.
Critics have argued that the foreign minister failed to adequately assess the candidates' qualifications, ethical conduct and backgrounds, despite being responsible for vetting nominees for ambassadorial positions.
With Thapa's withdrawal, the government will now have to recommend new candidates for Japan, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia. Attention has shifted to how the government will screen potential conflicts of interest and ethical conduct while selecting new nominees, and when the 10 endorsed ambassadors will receive agrément from their respective host countries.
