KATHMANDU, Oct 19: Three separate complaints have been registered against Yuba Raj Khatiwada, the ambassador designate of Nepal to the United States, at the Parliamentary Hearing Committee.

In a complaint, Khatiwada has been accused of taking sides with the troubled Oriental Cooperative when Khatiwada served as the governor of Nepal Rastra Bank.

Khatiwada, who is also the immediate past finance minister of the country, has been projected as being unfriendly toward thousands of members of Oriental Cooperatives who lost their deposits worth billions of rupees. Oriental, a cooperative run by Sudheer Basnet has faced charges of embezzling deposits worth billions of rupees.

Likewise, a complaint has been lodged against Lokdarshan Regmi, who has been proposed as Nepal’s next ambassador to the United Kingdom.

In the complaint, Regmi has been accused of being involved in a foul play in the appointment of the Inspector General of Nepal Police when he was the home secretary in 2017.

The Parliamentary Hearing Committee has invited the complainants on November 1. After holding a meeting with the complainants, the committee will invite the proposed ambassadors for hearing. During the hearing, the committee will take up those issues for study and even grill them, a practice that has been followed for several years.

In a public notice on October 9, the Parliamentary Hearing Committee called for complaints, if there are any, against Khatiwada and Regmi, who have been nominated by the government as Nepal’s new ambassadors to the United States and the United Kingdom, respectively.

As per rules, anyone who has any complaints against the ambassador nominee can register them with the hearing committee within 10 days.

After the Cabinet nominates an individual for the post of ambassador, s/he has to face the parliamentary hearing. For any nominee’s appointment as the ambassador, the committee must approve the government’s recommendation.

Khatiwada will succeed Arjun Kumar Karki who has been serving as Nepal’s ambassador to the United States for the past six years. Likewise, Regmi, who is the immediate past chief secretary, will succeed Durga Bahadur Subedi, a career diplomat.

 
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