The Tuesday meeting at Singha Durbar, which aimed to finalize the mandate of the Parliamentary Inquiry Committee for investigating the alleged misappropriation of funds from cooperatives, concluded without reaching a decision.
Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Padam Giri stated that while various options were discussed during the working group meeting, no consensus was reached. However, he noted that the discussions were positive, and there was agreement on creating a mandate through consensus to effectively probe the misuse of cooperative funds, ensure appropriate action, and protect the interests of investors.
Minister Giri emphasized the government's stance against presuming guilt prior to an investigation and expressed reservations about forming a parliamentary inquiry committee naming specific individuals. This contrasts with the main opposition Nepali Congress party's demand for explicitly naming Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ravi Lamichhane in the mandate, accusing him of involvement in the embezzlement case.
The CPN-UML Chief Whip Mahesh Kumar Bertaula characterized the meeting as friendly, with both parties agreeing to address the matter through mutual agreement despite their own doubts and concerns. Nepali Congress MP Jeevan Pariyar restated his party's firm position on naming individuals in the mandate, while Rashtriya Swatantra Party MP Shishir Khanal supported completing the mandate through consensus rather than solely relying on accusations.
The next meeting of the working group is expected to further deliberate on finding common ground regarding the specific demands and concerns raised by various parties involved.
As the controversy surrounding the alleged misappropriation of cooperative funds continues, all stakeholders appear committed to resolving the impasse through dialogue and reaching a consensus on the mandate's scope and composition.
