PM Dahal’s Daring Declaration: Ready to Serve Jail if Cantonment Corruption Allegations Proven

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ has unequivocally stated that the allegations of corruption in the cantonment, where former Maoist combatants are stationed, are nothing but preconceived notions and biased accusations.

Answering to the question raised by lawmaker Gyanendra Shahi in the meeting for the parliament, in a resolute announcement, he said to face imprisonment if any individual lodges a complaint regarding this matter and calls for a thorough investigation.

Prime Minister Prachanda further asserted that he possesses comprehensive records of all the funds disbursed to the combatants in the cantonment. He firmly accused those raising the issue of money provided by the state of attempting to politicize the matter. He emphasized that the allocation of funds had undergone a meticulous auditing process and was carried out in accordance with established protocols.

Moreover, Prime Minister Prachanda made it clear that his government is fully prepared to investigate all instances of corruption without any exceptions.

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) investigated the suspicion of massive corruption in the amount of 4 billion rupees spent on the salaries and allowances of the combatants during their time in the camp.

In 2013, Youth Association Nepal, the youth wing of the UML party, lodged a complaint with the Commission, urging an inquiry into the suspected scam pertaining to government funds designated for the militant camps. Shortly thereafter, the Commission appointed an investigation officer to delve into the matter. The assigned officer subsequently wrote a letter to the Ministry of Peace and other relevant parties, seeking information and cooperation. Once the Ministry responded to the letter, the Commission deliberated on the matter.

The Ministry communicated to the Commission that a total of 9 billion 796 million 80 thousand 296 rupees had been expended in managing the militant camps subsequent to the comprehensive peace agreement.

The Special Committee on Army Adjustment, at that time, made a decision to conduct an investigation based on their conclusion that the funds extracted from the state treasury for the fighters and camps had been misappropriated.

The complaint filed demanded an investigation and appropriate action against Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, as well as leaders Baburam Bhattarai and Krishna Bahadur Mahara, along with the commander of the militant camp.