Finance Minister Appoints Own Institution’s Employee as Director of Rastriya Banijya Bank

Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle has appointed Aastha Bhatt, an employee of the institution where he serves as honorary chairperson, as a member of the Board of Directors of Rastriya Banijya Bank. Alongside Bhatt, he also appointed Dr. Suman Dahal, Humbahadur Ale, Ghuran Thakur, Gangaprasad Gyawali, and Laxman Gyawali as directors. Senior government officials have raised concerns, noting that appointing employees from his own institution to the board of a government bank creates a conflict of interest. (30 Ashar, Kathmandu)

Minister Wagle left Rastriya Banijya Bank without a board of directors for two months before appointing six new directors. Among them, Aastha Bhatt is an employee of the Integrated Institute for Development Studies (IIDS). Bhatt holds a postgraduate degree in economics and has been working at IIDS since 2022. Prior to becoming minister, Dr. Wagle was the chairperson of IIDS and resigned from that position.

Minister Wagle stated that these appointments are based on meritocracy and announced plans to introduce legislation to prevent conflicts of interest. However, a senior government official expressed that appointing employees from his own organization to the Rastriya Banijya Bank’s board could still lead to conflicts of interest. Rastriya Banijya Bank is wholly owned by the Government of Nepal and operates under the Ministry of Finance.