Kathmandu, June 9 (SocialNews.XYZ) Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah on Tuesday expanded his Cabinet, reappointing Sudhan Gurung as Home Minister and appointing Mahabir Pun as Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation.
President Ram Chandra Poudel administered the oath of office at a ceremony held at the presidential office on Tuesday. Gurung, who stepped down as Home Minister on April 22 following controversy over his financial dealings, returned to the post after an inquiry committee found no irregularities in those dealings.
Pun, who was elected to Parliament as an independent candidate from Myagdi district in western Nepal, had also served as a minister in an interim government led by former Prime Minister Sushila Karki.
For the past one and a half months, Prime Minister Shah had been handling the Home Ministry portfolio himself following Gurung's resignation.
Gurung is also one of the key leaders of the Gen-Z movement that emerged in September last year.
In April, Gurung came under scrutiny over his alleged business links with controversial businessman Deepak Bhatta, who is currently in judicial remand in connection with money-laundering charges.
Gurung announced his resignation through a social media post on April 22, stating that he was stepping down to ensure an impartial investigation into the allegations against him and to avoid any conflict of interest while holding office.
He became the second Cabinet minister to leave office in less than a month after the new government, led by Prime Minister Shah, was formed on March 27 following the March 5 elections.
On May 11, a Cabinet meeting formed an investigation committee led by former judge Achyut Prasad Bhandari, which has since submitted its report to the Prime Minister. The report concluded that no direct connection could be established between Gurung and businessman Deepak Bhatta, and that no banking records were found showing financial transactions between them.
During his testimony before the committee, Gurung reportedly said that he had earned income from operating a hotel in Thamel, Kathmandu's main tourist hub, and subsequently invested the proceeds in shares and gold. This explanation formed part of the basis for the committee's analysis.
When Prime Minister Shah and other ministers, including Gurung, disclosed their property details on April 12, Gurung was found to be among the wealthiest members of the Cabinet, with substantial cash deposits, shareholdings in various companies, and extensive landholdings that reportedly exceeded the legal ceiling.
When questioned about his wealth, Gurung defended his accumulation of assets on social media, writing that being born poor is not an individual's fault, but dying poor is.
"When you are born poor, that is not your fault; but if you die poor, that is your fault," Gurung wrote on Instagram. "Earning wealth without corruption before joining the government is not a sin; earning wealth through corruption after joining the government is a sin."
Subsequently, questions were raised about the sources of the wealth he disclosed. It later emerged that he had invested in a micro-insurance company promoted by Bhatta, further fuelling concerns about his business dealings.
Gurung was elected to the House of Representatives from the Gorkha-1 constituency in western Nepal.
Source: IANS
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