• Erring employees will have to pay Rs 5,000 each within 30 days

Kathmandu, July 18

In response to a letter of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority, the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development has directed all its units to slap a fine of Rs 5,000 each on employees failing to submit property details for the fiscal 2015-16 on time.

A circular to this effect was issued to the Department of Local Infrastructure Development and Agricultural Roads, Civil Registration Department, district coordination committees and local levels yesterday. Any employee who has not submitted his/her property details for 2015-16 will have to pay the prescribed fine within 30 days from the receipt of the letter and disclose property details within the next 30 days.

Employee Administration and Internal Management Section of the MoHA has also published the name of 991 office-bearers and employees who did not disclose their property details for 2015-16.

They include under-secretaries, then chief executives of municipalities and VDC secretaries, senior divisional engineers and classless employees.

“Concerned offices are requested to impose the prescribed fine on erring employees and send the receipt to the ministry besides causing them to fill the property details form,” read the circular.

As per the Prevention of Corruption Act-2002, any person who joins public office is, within 60 days from the date of joining such office and thereafter within 60 days from the date of completion of each fiscal, required to submit the updated statement of property in his/her or his/her family members’ name along with sources of income to the body prescribed by the government.

The concerned body or authority may extend the deadline for submission of such details for a maximum of 30 days.

If the person assuming public office does not submit the statement of property within the time-limit extended, he/she will be liable to a fine of Rs 5,000 and the concerned body or official may launch investigation into the property in his/her and his/her family members’ names.