THURSDAY, 22 APRIL 2010
Kathmandu, 22 April: Minister of Women, Children and Social Welfare Sarwadev Ojha has been putting the money given by the donors in the name of Children’s Rights Trust into is own bank account, reports Nepal Samacharpatra daily.
The Commission for Investigation for Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has labeled such account illegal. It has directed the Nepal Investment Bank Ltd not to allow use of money from the account without its permission.
Minister Ojha has said that the Children’s Rights Trust was established as per the Economic Support Mobilization and Management working statute-2066.
According to a high level source at the CIAA, Minister Ojha holds the chairman’s post of the Trust. The interesting point is that there are no government officials in the ranks of the Trust. According to the information, the Trust’s ranks are occupied by the Minister’s relatives and friends.
As per legal provisions, when an individual, who takes allowance and wage from the state coffer, plans to establish a Trust the permission of the Finance Ministry and the parliament is imperative. Minister Ojha needs to take the permission has the provision allows.
The CIAA had consulted the parliament and the Finance Minister if permission had been taken for opening an account in the bank in name of the Trust. A source said, “We seized the Trust’s bank account on ground that permission had not been taken from either of the bodies.” According to the source, the Minister has been running account with the number 001010102 in NIBL in name of the Children’s Trust. Although there are no details of the amount of the money in the account, speculations are that there is aplenty. A CIAA official said that the details of the account have been sought. CIAA has already seized the documents relating to the Trust formed by the Minister after entering the Ministry on Tuesday.
People’s News/Uttam Shrestha
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