Nepal anti-graft agency takes Oli’s 104-kg gold offering for purity check

The jalari, usually made of silver, was replaced with gold under the instruction of the then-PM Oli, a Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) source told The Indian Express.

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June 26, 2023 2:44 pm

Besides, President Bidhya Devi Bhandari, who belonged to the CPN-UML before she became the President, hurriedly inaugurated the ceremony a day after the offering was made and installed it (express photo)

Kathmandu: Months before the country’s general elections, K P Oli, the Communist Party of Nepal’s (UML) chairperson and “a self-declared atheist”, did an unusual but populist act in February 2021 — offering 104 kg gold at Kathmandu’s Pashupatinath temple. The move was regarded as an apparent bid to appease the Hindu community of Nepal. The gold was used to create a jalari (an ornamental encircling) for the Linga at the temple dedicated to Lord Shiva.

On Sunday, the Commission of Inquiry into Abuse of Authority (CIAA), Nepal’s anti-corruption body, uprooted the jalari material from the holy site in order to examine the gold content. The jalari, usually made of silver, was replaced with gold under the instruction of the then-PM Oli, a Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) source told The Indian Express.

For the purchase of gold, which was to be bought from Nepal’s Central Bank, the PADT had released Rs 50 crore; a further Rs 30 Crore was released from the state treasury. But subsequently, concerns emerged that out of 104 kg gold, a little over 7 kg had other material such as silver and copper alloyed.

The CIAA took cognisance of the matter months after a complaint was lodged. The same had also been raised in parliament last month.

Besides, President Bidhya Devi Bhandari, who belonged to the CPN-UML before she became the President, hurriedly inaugurated the ceremony a day after the offering was made and installed it in the presence of Oli.

Last month, Oli had stated in the parliament that it was not his job as the PM to ascertain whether the gold was genuine or substandard. Incumbent Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ had endorsed Oli’s explanation in the House.

But as the public outcry against the alleged corruption became shriller, the CIAA sprung into action, sources said. The CIAA took custody of the jalari to examine the quality and quantity of the metals used. The probe was on till Sunday night by a team of CIAA in the presence of PADT representatives.