Judges may soon have to make their property details public under a new law aimed at preventing conflicts of interest.

 Kathmandu, July 18

The Government of Nepal is planning a new law that would require the Chief Justice and all judges to publicly disclose their property, as part of efforts to improve transparency and prevent conflicts of interest.

Right now, judges only have to submit their property details to the Judicial Council Secretariat within 60 days of taking office—but these records are not made public. The new draft law, prepared by the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, would change that. It would make it mandatory for all top officials—including judges, ministers, lawmakers, and senior bureaucrats—to publicly declare their assets.

According to Clause 15 of the proposed bill, these officials must submit and publish their property details within 30 days of being appointed and then every year within 60 days after the end of the fiscal year. This rule would apply to the President, Vice President, Prime Minister, Chief Justice, ministers, lawmakers, top civil servants, military generals, ambassadors, and heads of major institutions like the Nepal Rastra Bank.

The officials would have to report personal details such as sources of income, tax information, movable and immovable property, gifts or donations over Rs 100,000, shares, family-owned assets, and connections with companies or institutions. They would also need to report vehicles, social organization involvement, and any criminal penalties.

All these disclosures would be published online by their respective government agencies. If an official fails to disclose their property in time, they may be banned from attending meetings or taking part in official events. These violations would also be made public.

The bill also sets clear rules about receiving gifts. Public officials would not be allowed to accept gifts while in office. Any gifts received during official duties must be declared and handed over to the government. If not, the official will be fined the full value of the gift and the gift will be confiscated. However, officials may be allowed to keep gifts under a certain value.

The bill also bans unauthorized meetings or communications with foreign officials that could benefit the official personally or anyone else. Any unauthorized acceptance of money or gifts from foreign sources would lead to fines and confiscation.

Additionally, all officials would need to sign a statement declaring they have no conflict of interest when they take office. If a conflict arises later, they must remove themselves from related decisions and hand the responsibility to a neutral person or body.

The government has shared the draft online for public feedback. Once finalized, it will go to the Cabinet and then to Parliament for approval. If passed by both houses and signed by the President, it will become law.

The government says the goal is to build public trust by making officials more transparent, accountable, and ethical.

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