Lawmakers Question Alleged PMO Pressure on CIAA Over Seven Hour Passport Case Meeting

Prime Minister Balendra Shah and his secretariat have come under parliamentary scrutiny after lawmakers raised concerns over allegations that officials of the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority were kept at the Prime Minister’s Office for around seven hours and pressured over a passport procurement corruption case.

The issue was raised during a meeting of the House of Representatives’ State Affairs and Good Governance Committee, where lawmakers from different parties questioned whether the executive had interfered in the work of the CIAA, an independent constitutional body responsible for investigating abuse of authority and corruption.

Lawmakers Question Alleged PMO Pressure

Lawmakers said the allegations were serious because the CIAA is not part of the government and is constitutionally independent from the executive.

RSP lawmaker Amaresh Kumar Singh said the CIAA should not behave like an office under the Prime Minister’s Office. He reminded officials that the commission has the authority to investigate even the prime minister and ministers if there are grounds to do so.

Harka Raj Rai of the Shram Sanskriti Party also questioned who would hold the prime minister accountable if the head of the executive himself abused authority.

CPN UML lawmaker Padma Aryal said the CIAA appeared to be under pressure and political influence, while Nepali Congress lawmaker Arjun Narsingh KC warned against weakening the anti corruption body and turning it into a powerless institution under government influence.

How The Controversy Began

The controversy is linked to a meeting reportedly held at the Prime Minister’s Office on June 15.

According to reports cited by lawmakers, senior CIAA officials, including Chief Commissioner Prem Kumar Rai, were called to the PMO and remained there for around seven hours.

The reports alleged that officials from the prime minister’s side pressured the anti corruption body to prosecute officials connected to a passport procurement contract.

The CIAA later filed a corruption case related to the procurement process.

Reports also alleged that the prime minister’s secretariat pushed the CIAA to take action against Department of Passports officials, including Director General of the Passport Department Tirtha Raj Aryal and Sunil Kumar KC.

What Happened During The Seven Hour Meeting

Lawmakers asked CIAA officials to explain exactly what happened during the reported seven hour stay at the Prime Minister’s Office and whether they had faced pressure over the passport case.

Harka Raj Rai said that if CIAA officials had actually been kept there for seven hours, it would raise serious questions about possible abuse of authority.

The issue gained further attention because Prime Minister Shah later spoke publicly about questioning CIAA officials.

At the RSP general convention in Chitwan on June 21, Shah said the CIAA could be questioned for five hours and, if necessary, even longer.

He said that if CIAA leadership needed to answer questions and provide advice, they could be kept for not just five hours but even five years if necessary, while also saying the government would not act against the rules.

What CIAA Chief Prem Kumar Rai Said

Until the parliamentary committee meeting, the CIAA had not publicly explained the reported incident in detail.

Chief Commissioner Prem Kumar Rai then confirmed that CIAA officials had gone to the Prime Minister’s Office for discussions related to the passport issue.

Rai said the prime minister could invite concerned officials for discussions, suggestions and updates about a matter.

He said CIAA officials had participated in discussions and that some areas requiring improvement were identified.

However, Rai did not confirm that CIAA officials were illegally detained or that the commission filed the case because of political pressure.

He also did not provide a detailed account of what happened during the reported seven hours.

Instead, Rai defended the legal basis of the passport prosecution and asked lawmakers to examine the case documents.

He said the case was not filed without grounds and that the prosecution documents clearly showed the reasons behind the CIAA’s action.

RSP Chief About The Issue

Rabi Lamichhane, chair of the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party, also addressed the controversy during the committee meeting.

Lamichhane said obstructing the CIAA’s work would itself be an offence and urged the commission to take action if anyone from the government had interfered in its investigation.

He said that even though his party leads the government, he would not oppose action against government officials if the CIAA had evidence that they had obstructed or pressured the commission.

Lamichhane also said the ruling party would not pressure the CIAA if anyone connected to the government was found responsible for interfering with its work.

His remarks placed pressure on the CIAA to clearly explain whether the PMO meeting had affected its investigation or prosecution decision.

Why The Issue Matters

The controversy has now become a wider debate over the independence of Nepal’s constitutional bodies.

Lawmakers have said the key question is whether the meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office was a normal discussion or whether it crossed the line into political pressure.

For now, CIAA chief Prem Kumar Rai has confirmed that discussions took place with the prime minister before the passport case was filed, but he has maintained that the prosecution was based on legal grounds.

Lawmakers are still seeking clearer answers about what happened during the reported seven hour meeting and whether the CIAA was pressured by the executive.