‘Govt to response wide-body airbus procurement scam based on judicial committee report’

Pokhara, Jan 5 : Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Ishwor Pokhrel has said the government has formed a high-level judicial probe commission in regard with the wide-body aircraft procurement scandal.

Speaking at a press meet organised by the Nepal Press Organisation, Kaski here today, the minister said he sensed bad intention in the decision of a parliamentary subpanel formed under the Public Account Committee to publish its report about the issue instead of forwarding it to the main committee first. The high-level body was formed to bring out facts behind the matter, he claimed.

He went on to say that the government would prosecute those found guilty by the high commission.

In his response to the swearing-in of Resham Lal Chaudhary (elected the House of Representatives member from Kailali-1) who faces the charge of masterminding the 2015 Tikapur riot in which eight people were killed, he recalled the moment when the then UML lawmakers advocated for the provision of cancellation of the membership of any lawmaker facing the criminal charge as well as party action.

He further added that it seemed that any candidate deserved to obtain the certificate from the Election Commission once being elected by the people’s vote and he was administered oath of office and secrecy as the lower house member bearing all these in mind.

The leader from the Nepal Communist Party which was formed through the unification between two parties-the then CPN (UML) and the UCPN (Maoist)- said the unification process at the center and province level had been over and the works were going on to conclude the process at the district and other lower levels.

A task force meant for facilitating the unification issues is expected to present its report by mid-January to the party Secretariat, expediting the process. (RSS)