Investigation Committee Clears Former Home Minister Sudhan Gurung

Kathmandu. The investigation committee formed by the government has given a clean chit to Sudhan Gurung, who resigned from the post of Home Minister after being embroiled in controversy following the public disclosure of his property details. 

The committee concluded that the allegations against Gurung could not be substantiated after summoning and studying all his shares and assets. 

Also Read 

In Gorkha, Sudhan Gurung said – ‘If I become Home Minister again, I will not come to take pictures for two months’

The 45-page report submitted by the committee headed by former justice Achyut Prasad Bhandari has deemed all of Gurung's movable and immovable property as 'legitimate'. The report has interpreted the errors found in the property details not as the individual's but as a 'weak system of the state'.

This report has opened the door for Gurung to return powerfully to the Home Ministry, while on the other hand, the political questions raised about the impartiality of the government committee have become even more complex. The committee has considered the 89 tolas of gold, which raised the most questions publicly, as 'ancestral property'. 

It has been deemed legitimate on the basis that money was not withdrawn from the bank for the purchase of gold and that it has been in the family since before. In his statement to the committee, Gurung stated that the gold was ancestral, and upon examining the bank statements, it was found that no money was withdrawn from the bank for the purchase of gold, leading the committee to this conclusion.

The report has also denied the suspicion of Gurung having a business partnership with controversial businessman Deepak Bhatta. It has been concluded that documents were found showing he took a loan when purchasing shares, and his relationship with Bhatta was limited to acquaintance only. 

The committee has determined that it is wrong to call someone a partner based solely on acquaintance. Similarly, the 5 million rupees said to have come from abroad during the 'Gen Z' movement has been considered normal by the committee as it came through the banking system and was used for personal expenses.

The committee has pointed out problems in the state's system rather than Gurung's fault. The undervaluation of land registration in Dhankuta or discrepancies in property details have been attributed to Nepal's administrative weaknesses rather than Gurung's intentions. As this could happen to others as well, not just him, the committee has suggested improving the system. 

The committee has suggested to the government that legal action is not necessary based on such minor errors, considering the discrepancies in property details as minor errors. Instead, the government has been advised to improve the system for land valuation and gold tracking.

A member of the committee told RatoPati that they have included all the evidence found in the report and provided necessary suggestions.