Corruption is a deeply entrenched and pervasive issue within Nepal’s bureaucracy, significantly hindering the country’s development and eroding public trust. It manifests in various forms, from petty bribery to large-scale embezzlement and abuse of power, affecting nearly every sector of national life.
Key Aspects of Corruption in Nepal’s Bureaucracy:
- Pervasiveness: Corruption is reported to be widespread, impacting all levels of government, including federal, provincial, and local units, as well as critical sectors like politics, judiciary, public services, business, education, and security agencies.
- Forms of Corruption:
- Bribery and Facilitation Payments: Common in public procurement, business registration, and accessing public services like electricity connections or construction permits.
- Nepotism and Political Patronage: Favoring family members or political allies for jobs, contracts, and other opportunities, undermining merit and professionalism.
- Embezzlement: Misappropriation of public funds for personal gain, often seen in large development projects and state-owned enterprises.
- Abuse of Office: Public officials using their positions for personal enrichment, including through illicit transactions and undue influence.
- Lack of Transparency and Accountability: Non-transparent regulations, limited oversight, and weak enforcement mechanisms create fertile ground for corrupt practices.
- Impact on Development:
- Economic Stagnation: Corruption diverts resources, discourages foreign investment, increases business costs, and distorts markets, leading to underdevelopment.
- Inequality and Poverty: Resources intended for public services like healthcare, education, and infrastructure are siphoned off, disproportionately affecting marginalized populations.
- Weakened Governance: Erodes public trust in institutions, undermines the rule of law, and makes governance less effective as leaders prioritize personal gain over national development.
- Deterioration of Public Services: Hospitals face shortages of medicine and qualified professionals, government schools struggle with inadequate resources, and critical infrastructure projects suffer from delays, budget overruns, and substandard work due to corrupt practices.
- Causes of Corruption:
- Politicization of Bureaucracy: Successive governments have politicized the bureaucracy, leading to low professional morale and an environment where exploiting favorable circumstances is common.
- Weak Enforcement: Despite anti-corruption laws like the Prevention of Corruption Act, implementation and enforcement remain inadequate.
- Lack of Political Will: There is a perception that corruption control has not been a national priority, with real punitive action against high-level culprits being rare.
- Systemic Issues: Overlapping and conflicting authority, power struggles, and weak separation between civil service and partisan politics contribute to the problem.
Anti-Corruption Efforts and Challenges:
Nepal has established various anti-corruption measures and bodies:
- Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA): A constitutional body empowered to investigate and prosecute cases of abuse of authority and corruption by public officials. However, the CIAA has faced criticism for focusing more on low-ranking civil servants and having a low conviction rate in recent years, with high-level cases often not being pursued effectively.
Office of the Auditor General (OAG): A constitutional body responsible for auditing public resources to ensure accountability and transparency. - Legislation: Laws like the Prevention of Corruption Act (2002 AD) and efforts to combat money laundering exist, but their implementation is often weak.
- International Cooperation: Nepal ratified the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) in 2011 and has been involved in efforts to strengthen national legislation in accordance with it.
- Civil Society and NGOs: Organizations like Transparency International Nepal and the Anticorruption Movement Nepal actively raise awareness, conduct research, and advocate for stronger anti-corruption measures. Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI) consistently ranks Nepal low, indicating a high perceived level of public sector corruption (e.g., 107th out of 180 countries in CPI 2024 with a score of 34, where a score below 50 indicates a high level of corruption).
Challenges remain:
- Weak Implementation: Despite legal frameworks and institutions, actual implementation and enforcement are often insufficient.
- Lack of Independence: The judiciary is often perceived as subject to pervasive corruption and executive influence.
- Political Interference: High-level corruption cases often involve political figures, and investigations can be slow or shelved due to political connections.
- Ineffective Asset Declaration System: The asset disclosure system for public officials is often described as merely cosmetic, lacking real monitoring or public accessibility.
Addressing corruption in Nepal’s bureaucracy requires a sustained and concerted effort involving strong political will, independent and effective anti-corruption institutions, enhanced transparency and accountability, and active public participation.