Just two weeks after assuming office, Nepal’s youthful prime minister has initiated a major investigation targeting the financial holdings of the country’s political class.
The 35-year-old former rapper, civil engineer, and ex-mayor of Kathmandu, Balendra Shah, is making good on his anti-establishment campaign vow by ordering a thorough review of assets owned by senior politicians and officials who have served over the last twenty years.
Late Wednesday, the government announced the creation of a four-person property investigation commission, to be led by retired Supreme Court justice Rajendra Kumar Bhandari. This body will collect, verify, and examine asset records of key political figures and high-ranking officeholders.
A government spokesperson confirmed the commission’s formation following a cabinet meeting, noting that the move is a direct fulfillment of Shah’s promise to crack down on “hidden wealth” within 15 days of his administration’s broader reform rollout.
This initial probe is the first phase of a broader anti-corruption strategy. A subsequent stage will extend the investigation to assets accumulated since 1990, the year Nepal reinstated democratic governance, as outlined in the government’s 100-point reform plan.
Though Nepal already has anti-corruption bodies like the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority and the Department of Money Laundering Investigation, enforcement has long been weak. The government says any findings from the new commission will be implemented through these existing agencies under the nation’s 2002 Prevention of Corruption Act, which bans public officials from acquiring illegal assets.
The wealth probe is the latest in a series of bold moves by an administration determined to signal a clean break from the past. Since taking power, the government has already arrested ten prominent figures on charges including money laundering, child labor abuse, and criminal negligence related to civilian deaths during recent protests.