KATHMANDU, April 9: Almost two weeks after forming the government, ministers from the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) have yet to make their asset details public, despite a pre-election pledge to do so before assuming office.
Clause 16 of the party's election commitment states: "Before taking office, we will fully disclose our asset details. Any changes in our and our families' assets before the election and after completing our term will be independently audited and presented to the public."
Prime Minister Balendra Shah was sworn in on March 27, and on the same day he formed a 15-member Cabinet. However, neither the prime minister nor the RSP ministers have published their asset details. A link titled "Honorable Ministers' Asset Details for FY 2026/27" on the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers' website currently shows no information. As of Wednesday evening, the asset details remain undisclosed.
Similarly, asset disclosures of 182 RSP members of the House of Representatives have not been published by the time this news report was prepared.
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Before Shah's government was formed, the previous administration led by Sushila Karki also left office without publishing asset details. At that time, even the prime minister's disclosure was not made public. According to sources from the Prime Minister's Office, Karki submitted her details three days after the deadline.
Under Section 31 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2048 BS, the prime minister and ministers must submit their property details within 60 days of assuming office and again within 60 days after the end of each fiscal year.
Although the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM) has confirmed that ministers have submitted their details as required by law, these records have not been made public. Experts say the decision to publish or withhold property details depends on ethical considerations.
Which governments made property details public?
The government formed after the 2017 parliamentary elections made public the property details of then-Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and his ministers. At that time, then-Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Sher Bahadur Tamang publicly released his property details himself.
Although ministers initially appointed under the Oli government made their property details public, those added later left office without doing so. A notice published in the Nepal Gazette on July 4, 2018, stated that the prime minister, ministers, state ministers, and assistant ministers must submit their property details to the OPMCM. However, the Gazette did not specify whether these details must be made public.
After the 1990 People's Movement, the government formed under Girija Prasad Koirala made its first decision requiring the prime minister and ministers to make their property details public within 15 days of assuming office. Sher Bahadur Deuba, then home minister, made his details public accordingly.
Subsequent governments continued this practice, except for the administration led by Khil Raj Regmi in March 2013, which did not release the property details of any Cabinet member. In later governments, some prime ministers and ministers made their property details public, while others did not.
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