KATHMANDU, May 19: The government has shortlisted four candidates for the chairperson of the Securities Board of Nepal (SEBON).
According to the Ministry of Finance, Nabaraj Adhikari, Binaya Dev Acharya, Mukunda Kumar Chhetri and Gopal Prasad Bhatta are among the shortlisted candidates, of whom one will be appointed to lead the SEBON, the regulatory body of the country’s securities transaction mechanism. The individuals have been called for an interview on Friday.
Govt shortlists three candidates for chairperson of SEBON
The government formed three-member panel led by Sanjay Acharya, member of the National Planning Commission (NPC), has shortlisted the aforementioned candidates for the SEBON’s chief in the first stage of selection process. Finance Secretary Ghanshyam Upadhyay and former banker Bhuvan Kumar Dahal are among the members of the panel.
Of the selected individuals, Adhikari was the former executive director of the SEBON, while Acharya is incumbent executive director. Previously, Adhikari was also in a race for SEBON’s chair, while the government appointed Santosh Narayan Shrestha for the post. Chhetri and Bhatta were the retired executive directors of Nepal Rastra Bank.
The recommendation committee had opened applications on April 13, receiving a total of 47 candidates. Earlier, the NPC Vice-chairman Gunakar Bhatta stepped down from coordinator of the government’s recommendation committee citing a conflict of interest after his cousin, Gopal Prasad Bhatta contested in a race.
The post of SEBON’s chairmanship has remained vacant since former chief Santosh Narayan Shrestha resigned. Shrestha left the position amid mounting pressure linked to a money laundering investigation involving businessman Deepak Bhatta, in which Shrestha’s name had also surfaced.
