Corruption is becoming legal in Nepal. Within just one month of KP Oli's government taking office, they are amending the laws to cover up all previous corruption scandals, essentially legalizing corruption. The Anti-Corruption Act, 2059 (2002) is being amended to make corruption legal, meaning that corrupt individuals will not even be prosecuted. If this bill passes, all corruption cases prior to 2077 will be closed at once. So, what exactly is happening as soon as Oli's government comes into power? What does the amendment to the Anti-Corruption Act, 2059 contain? And what can we do to stop it? Let's delve into all the details and understand this in today's in-depth story, taking action where necessary. The Anti-Corruption Act, 2059 was created to prevent corruption in Nepal and punish corrupt individuals while establishing the rule of law. This act was enacted by the then Parliament during King Gyanendra's first year of rule. It outlined how to prosecute corrupt individuals and the punishments they would face, such as jail time based on the amount of money taken through misuse of power. For example, the law stipulated that taking up to 25,000 rupees would result in up to three months in jail, while taking more than 1 crore rupees would lead to 8 to 10 years of imprisonment. The act also defined non-monetary forms of corruption, such as misuse of power for personal gain or providing benefits to others without directly accepting cash. Like asking someone to do a favor, and in exchange, I will do the same. The act also defined non-monetary forms of corruption without the cash being directly involved. And such type of corrupts were also subjected to jail period as per this law. In essence, the act was created with detailed provisions, and it seems there is no urgent need for amendments. However, one aspect of the law has always been a concern for politicians, as they feared being caught. In Nepal, if you are in power, you can change the laws to make your corruption seem legal. Even if someone commits murder, the definition of murder can be changed, or it can be portrayed as a revolution. The problem arose when cases against leaders from parties like the UML and Congress began to surface. Even many corruption files of congress leaders were opened, that increased the threat of being caught and jailed, leading to the realization that the best solution was for corrupt individuals to form a government together and amend the laws. They formed their government and are now working to amend the laws to suit their needs. As a result, the amendment bill for the Anti-Corruption Act, 2059 is being pushed forward once again. Before we delve into the problematic aspects of this bill, let's first understand where it currently stands. In a recent video, we discussed how the National Assembly has turned into a club for elderly politicians to collect salaries and benefits. The National Assembly has once again validated this by passing the amendment bill for the Anti-Corruption Act, 2059 without proper review and sending it to the House of Representatives. National Assembly yet again proved their role as just to take salaries and the level of their illiteracy and incompetency. They passed this bill and send it to House of Representatives. The bill is now under consideration in the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee of the House of Representatives. Another related bill, the amendment to the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority Act, 2048, is also under consideration in the same committee. Discussions on both issues are currently ongoing. You might be familiar with the House of Representatives, but the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee might be a newer concept for some. Sometimes, instead of discussing issues directly in the parliament, MPs hold roundtable discussions in smaller committees. These committees are formed to assist the regular functioning of the House of Representatives, discuss bills, and make the government accountable and answerable to the parliament. Among these, the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee is responsible for providing necessary advice, suggestions, and directives on issues like governance, peace and security, and the establishment of the rule of law. Ram Hari Khatiwada from the Nepali Congress is the chairperson of this committee. Prominent MPs like Gagan Thapa, Bishwa Prakash Sharma from the Nepali Congress, former Prime Minister Prachanda from the Maoist Centre, and Rabi Lamichhane from Rastriya Swatantra Party are members of this committee. With total of 27 members, many of the leaders which you are familiar with are in this committee, and these leaders hold the decision making power whether pass this bill or not. However, during a committee meeting on Shrawan 22, Prime Minister KP Oli urged the members to quickly pass the amendment bill. So, what is in this bill that requires such urgency? The controversial section of the bill is Clause 16, which deals with a statute of limitations on corruption cases. It states that corruption cases can only be filed within five years of the incident becoming known. After that, no cases can be filed. In contrast, the previous law allowed corruption cases to be filed at any time. However, this provision is now being removed. If an individual or institution is found to have taken money or engaged in corruption that benefited them, the case must be filed within five years, or else it will not be possible to pursue it. If this bill is passed, it will lead to the closure of all corruption cases from before 2077 BS with a single stroke. Let me detail which cases will be closed if this law is passed: 1. Lalita Niwas Land Case This case, involving Baburam Bhattarai, Madhav Kumar Nepal, Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar, and others, dates back to 2066/67 BS . Once this law is enacted, this case will be closed. 2. Bansbari Land Case This case, involving Congress MP and industrialist Binod Chaudhary and his family, dates back to 2038 BS . 3.Wide-Body Aircraft Purchase The 24 billion rupees wide-body aircraft scam, involving former tourism ministers, dates back to 2075 BS. We've already made a video on this, which you might have seen. Another video we've made covers the Giribandhu case, where both Oli and Deuba are implicated. This case is also old, and if this law is passed, it will be closed too. In addition to these, there are many other corruption scandals from KP Oli's recent tenure. Oli himself is likely to close these cases. For example, on Falgun 8, 2076 BS , Gokul Baskota, who was the Minister of Communications during Oli's term, was caught on tape negotiating a 700 million rupees deal. The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has been investigating this case for six years. If this law is implemented, it's almost certain that this case will not go to court. If the five-year statute of limitations is maintained, not only will Baskota's case be dropped, but also many other cases, such as the health equipment procurement scandal during the COVID-19 pandemic and the leasing of Nepal Trust land to the Yeti Group, will also be closed by the CIAA. Look at the magic of the Oli government: without going into details of each corruption case, with a single click, all scandals will be closed, all files will be shut, and no cases will be prosecuted. Everyone will be innocent. It's like a ninja technique, right? This is why KP Oli is pushing to pass this bill quickly. What can we do? Many of our viewers ask us: we watch your in-depth story videos, we learn about the country's situation and the actions of our leaders, but what can we do to stop this terrible practice? Should we chase out the leaders like in Bangladesh? Well, if necessary, we shouldn't hesitate to do that. But for now, let's raise our voices through the means we know. Lets use the technology to make them questionable. We all have phones and the internet— let's use technology to make these leaders accountable. How? As I mentioned earlier, this bill is currently under discussion in the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee of the House of Representatives. Let's ask questions to those members who are currently in discussion about that bill. So, let's send them a message or call them and question them. Write to Gagan Thapa, Rabi Lamichhane, Prachanda, and all 27 members of the committee. Ask them why are they legalizing corruption ? What is the urgency to pass this bill and set limitation to mere 5 years? Let's collectively ask them. All their numbers are on the screen and in the description. Just commenting won't help. Call them, text them. If you think why to waste money on these leaders, remember that most of them use WhatsApp— send them a message. We have 300,000 regular viewers. Everyone always ask, "What to do now?' Well, now we are telling you what to do. Let's take a digital approach and politely question them all at once. If they don't listen, remember, they themselves taught us how to protest and throw stones. We want to make videos on every bill like this, on every issue, so that you understand and the government hears. If you'd like to join our team, send us an email at the provided address. And don't forget to subscribe to In-depth Story for more videos like this. Alright then. Thank you for watching.