Sudhan Gurung is Nepal’s home minister again after Prime Minister Balendra Shah reinstated him Tuesday following an inquiry panel’s finding that wealth allegations against him were not supported.
Gurung was sworn back into office at 5 p.m. Tuesday by President Ramchandra Paudel, returning to the Home Ministry he had resigned from April 22 after reported ties to a Deepak Bhatt-linked company drew public scrutiny.
The three-member panel, led by former judge Achyutprasad Bhandari, said nothing about Gurung’s assets appeared out of the ordinary and found no financial dealings between Gurung and Bhatt.
The Cabinet reviewed the report Tuesday, and Shah approved Gurung’s reappointment the same day.
The panel said nothing about Gurung’s assets looked out of the ordinary and found no financial dealings between him and Bhatt. — Inquiry panel finding
Back at the ministry Tuesday, Gurung said he would reopen the 2058 royal palace massacre file, look into dropping criminal charges from the Gen-Z movement, and give the Central Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police more teeth.
Gurung’s previous 26-day tenure included several high-profile moves. He ordered the arrest of Nepal Communist Party (UML) leader Karna Bahadur Malla on rape charges, visited the home of an elderly citizen allegedly roughed up by protesters angry about the Oli arrest, and posted photos of himself sleeping at the ministry.
Nepal Police arrested both Oli and Lekhak at dawn the following day. Gurung remained inside Police Headquarters until the arrests were completed.
Prime Minister Shah also appointed Mahabir Pun as minister for science, technology and innovation.
Pun took charge at the ministry Tuesday and said the work of science and technology “does not proceed slowly — one must work day and night to move forward.”
He said he plans to stay no more than three years before handing the role to a younger generation.
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