KATHMANDU, April 13: Prime Minister Balen Shah and members of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP)-led Cabinet have made their property details public, revealing significant holdings in bank deposits, land, shares and other assets, in line with their broader commitment to transparency after coming to power on an anti-corruption platform.
The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers released the disclosures on Sunday, in line with Section 50 of the Corruption Prevention Act, which requires public officials to submit their asset details within 60 days of assuming office.
The RSP-led government was formed on March 27 in the wake of the election held after the Gen G protest, securing a sweeping majority of 182 seats in the 274-member House of Representatives, with a pledge to uproot corruption and ensure accountability in public office.
According to the disclosures, Prime Minister Shah has Rs 14.6 million deposited in his bank account, with income sources listed as earnings from digital platforms including Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Spotify and iTunes. He owns houses and land in Kathmandu and Dhanusha, including nine aanas in Kathmandu, 1.2 bighas in Dhanusha and an additional nine bighas in Mahottari. He has also declared 190 tola of ancestral gold, silver and jewelry in the name of his wife.
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Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle has disclosed share investments worth around Rs 19 million and bank savings of approximately Rs 9 million. He also owns a residential house in Lalitpur worth Rs 20 million and land in multiple locations valued at Rs 107.5 million. His assets are sourced from professional income and ancestral property. The disclosure further lists ownership of a vehicle and other financial assets.
Home Minister Sudan Gurung has reported Rs 43.1 million in share investments. According to the details, he holds 30,000 ordinary shares in Hope Holdings Pvt Ltd, valued at Rs 3 million. Similarly, he owns 5,700 ordinary shares in Lagom Premium Apartments Pvt Ltd, worth Rs 5.7 million.
The largest portion of his investment—Rs 27,456,200—has been placed in shares traded in the secondary market, listed collectively under “shares traded in the securities market,” with income sources cited as business and ancestral property.
Additionally, Gurung has invested in Adventure Villa Pvt Ltd, where he holds 70,000 shares valued at Rs 7 million.
Minister for Education, Science and Technology Sasmit Pokharel has declared total assets worth over Rs 241.6 million. His holdings include a two-and-a-half-storey house in Kathmandu valued at Rs 40 million, six aanas of land in Mulpani worth Rs 50 million and one kattha of land in Morang valued at Rs 10 million.
Family-owned properties include land in Kathmandu, Godawari and Gokarneshwor collectively valued at around Rs 105 million. He has also declared gold and silver worth around Rs 7.5 million, bank deposit of Rs 448,000, share investments of Rs 17.7 million, and vehicles. He has listed liabilities amounting to Rs 7.5 million.
The publication of asset details is a mandatory provision under the Corruption Prevention Act, which requires the prime minister and ministers to submit their property details within 60 days of assuming office and update them annually.
Although the Cabinet has complied with the legal timeline, the RSP had pledged ahead of the elections to make such disclosures public even before assuming office, as part of its commitment to greater transparency and accountability.
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