Nepal

Open corruption involving Dangol and Oli Government

Summary:
According to city officials, the suspension follows allegations that Pandey obstructed CAO Guragain from entering the KMC office—actions taken at the verbal direction of Mayor Shah in the first week of April.

The controversy surrounding CAO Guragain—who was deputed at the city office by the federal government—began when he was accused of procedural and financial irregularities in approving a revised design for the Kathmandu Tower, increasing its height from 12 to 19 storeys. The changes reportedly bypassed mandatory seismic and structural reviews, leading Mayor Shah to suspend Guragain pending investigation. However, the federal government refused to send a replacement, effectively paralysing key municipal functions, including payroll approvals.

On April 4, while Mayor Shah was outside the city, the federal government reinstated Guragain to the city office. During the controversy, while the mayor wanted to replace Guragain, Deputy Mayor Sunita Dangol and most of the ward chairs stood in favour of allowing the CAO to work.