Kathmandu, Sept 27 – Maoist Centre leaders have called for a sweeping internal investigation into alleged corruption during the management of former combatants and the personal wealth of party figures who rose to power after the peace process.
Central committee member Laxman Datta Pant tabled a proposal urging a probe into reports that Rs 2.82 billion was embezzled from combatant camps. He claimed commanders deducted Rs. 2,000 per month from the salaries of 19,600 UN-verified combatants under the pretext of a PLA Fund and misused the money. Pant also demanded an audit of the wealth of all Maoist leaders who held key posts since 2006.
He cited a 2008 case when then-communications minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara’s government charged Hello Nepal Telecom just Rs. 49.5 lakh in licensing and renewal fees while other telecom operators paid Rs. 20 billion each, calling it an undue benefit worth nearly Rs. 20 billion.
Pant accused party leaders of enriching themselves by exploiting political appointments, contracts, and transfers while repeatedly heading ministries such as Finance, Home, and Energy over the past 18 years.
He also questioned party chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s family’s lifestyle, referring to media reports about a luxury Rolex watch and Louis Vuitton bag. Pant said if the reports were false, defamation cases should be filed, but if the items were received as gifts, they should be sold for the benefit of injured fighters or deposited into the state treasury. In response, Dahal announced the formation of a party-level commission to investigate and publicly disclose leaders’ assets. He said Maoist leaders must adopt new work practices and reform both organizational and personal lifestyles.
After a decade-long insurgency, the Maoists signed the 2006 Comprehensive Peace Agreement and placed 19,602 combatants and 3,475 weapons under UN supervision in seven main and 21 satellite cantonments.
Allegations of inflated combatant numbers and financial misuse surfaced over time, with former fighters accusing leaders of levy collection and interference in fund distribution. Combatants received monthly allowances between NPR 3,000 and NPR 6,500 until 2011, with up to Rs. 800,000 given to those taking voluntary retirement.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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