KATHMANDU, APRIL 17
The employees of Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) have staged a protest against the decision of the government to suspend the central bank's Governor Maha Prasad Adhikari.
Demanding the government to withdraw its action against the governor, the Central Committee of NRB Employees Union today picketed the central bank's head office in Baluwatar.
The agitated staffer of the NRB even installed black banners that read: 'Stop the direct interference in the central bank's autonomy', 'Immediately reverse the action taken against the governor on baseless and fictitious allegations', 'Immediately formulate and implement a special policy for the salvation of the declining national economy', among others at the central and other offices of the central bank.
According to the President of the NRB Employees' Union, Rudra Prasad Timsina, the NRB leadership has come under attack as the leaders have misused the financial system with influence of financial mafias.
Stating that such allegations have been made against the governors in the past as well, Timsina said that the employees have always taken part in protest programmes to protect the autonomy of the central bank.
Reminding that the employees of NRB had knocked on the doors of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority to the Supreme Court to protest against the dismissal and suspension of former governors: Kalyan Bikram Adhikari, Tilak Bahadur Rawal and Vijay Nath Bhattarai by the then governments, Timsina has requested the government to withdraw the action taken against the governor.
The government suspended NRB Governor Adhikari on April 8 following a Cabinet decision to form an investigation committee to probe various allegations levelled against him, including leaking information to the media regarding the finance ministry's decision to prohibit import of luxury goods.
Adhikari was appointed governor of the central bank by the erstwhile Oli government in the April of 2020, prior to which he had served as the chief executive officer of the Investment Board Nepal.
However, Finance Minister Janardan Sharma has said that the action to suspend the governor was legal and as per the NRB Act.
A version of this article appears in the print on April 18, 2022, of The Himalayan Times
