Proposed ambassador to Japan withdraws name in first conflict-of-interest case

Jigyan Kumar Thapa has withdrawn his name as Nepal's proposed ambassador to Japan, after a parliamentary hearing raised questions about a possible conflict of interest.

The parliamentary hearing committee said the case is the first of its kind in Nepal. Committee chair Bodh Narayan Shrestha said a proposed ambassador had never before stepped back after a conflict-of-interest question was raised during a hearing.

Thapa was questioned during his hearing on 28 September about his long connection with Japan. Lawmakers asked how he could represent Nepal in a country where he had worked for many years, where his family had lived, and where he had built up property.

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Rastriya Swatantra Party lawmaker Madhu Kumar Chaulagain put the question directly during the hearing. Other committee members raised similar concerns.

The committee then sought more detail through the foreign ministry. It asked whether Thapa had held any appointment from Japanese government bodies, and whether he had received pay or other facilities from Japanese public funds. It also examined his link with a foundation in Japan.

Thapa, who studied international relations and law in Japan and has worked there since 2009, wrote in his withdrawal letter that national interest, moral integrity and transparency stood above any post. He said he was withdrawing his name with respect from the ongoing hearing process.

Shrestha praised the decision, saying Thapa had shown high morality by understanding and accepting the issue himself. He said the move had raised the standing of the committee and improved parliamentary practice.

Congress lawmaker Arjun Narasingh K.C. also described the step as praiseworthy. He said a conflict of interest was not only about ability, but also about past work, family links and financial interests.

Other lawmakers agreed. They said the case showed that a hearing committee was not only a formality, and that a qualified person could still be unsuitable for a particular posting.

The committee said Nepal still has no separate law on conflict of interest. Shrestha said the case had made the need for such a law clearer, because existing laws only touched on the issue in different places.

With the withdrawal, the hearing process for Thapa has stopped. The government will now have to decide on a fresh nomination for the ambassador's post in Tokyo.