Government Bans Share Transactions During Office Hours Following Misuse by Employees

The government has imposed a ban on share transactions during office hours after discovering that government employees were engaging in such activities instead of focusing on their duties. The decision follows a monitoring exercise by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), which was prompted by oral and written complaints about employees, particularly within Singha Durbar, the Central Government Secretariat Complex, being distracted by stock trading during work hours.

The CIAA’s investigation revealed that some employees were prioritizing share transactions over their official responsibilities, leading to ineffective service delivery to the public. In response, the CIAA reported its findings to the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers on September 6, recommending immediate action to curb this misuse of office time.

Following the CIAA’s directive, the Prime Minister’s Office has issued instructions to all ministries, commissions, secretariats, and the Chief Secretary, as well as the Chief Ministers and the Office of Council of Ministers of all seven provinces, to ensure that the Trading Management System (TMS) is not operated during office hours. The directive emphasizes that it is inappropriate for government employees to conduct private share market transactions during work hours.

The CIAA’s letter also called for the implementation of monitoring systems using information technology to ensure compliance with the ban on TMS operations during office time across all government and public offices.