RSP yet to disclose property details despite big, bold pledge

The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) made a big pledge during elections: to disclose the property details of all its lawmakers and ministers before they assume their respective offices. More than a week after they were sworn into office, the party has yet to fulfill that promise.

In point number 16 of its “citizen contract”, the party committed to making public the property details of its representatives before they took up positions such as parliamentary seats or ministerial offices.

However, as of April 3, no such disclosure has been made by the party. Newly elected lawmakers and members of the government led by party senior leader Balendra Shah took their oath of office more than a week ago.

The absence of disclosure raises questions if it was merely an election stunt.

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Existing legal provisions require public office holders to submit their asset details within a specified timeframe after assuming office. Section 50 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2002, and Section 31(a) of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority Act, 1991, mandate that ministers and lawmakers submit detailed statements of assets within 60 days of taking office and update them annually thereafter.

Under the current legal framework, ministers submit their property details to the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, while lawmakers file them with the Federal Parliament Secretariat, in line with anti-corruption laws that allow oversight by the country’s anti-graft agency, CIAA.

However, despite a legal provision allowing 60 days, the RSP had pledged to complete the disclosures before its members assumed office. In its commitment letter, the party also promised to audit the assets of all its members based on the submitted property details once their term concludes.