Former Home Minister Sudhan Gurung Found to Have Concealed Millions in Assets, Stark Discrepancies Between Two Declarations

Kathmandu. Former Home Minister and Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) lawmaker Sudhan Gurung, who lost his post after becoming embroiled in a financial partnership dispute with controversial middleman and businessman Deepak Bhatt, has been found to have concealed assets worth tens of millions of rupees. The revelation emerged after stark discrepancies came to light between the asset declarations he submitted to two different state bodies within a span of just two months.

The 38-year-old Gurung, regarded as a leader of the Gen-Z movement, had filed his asset declaration with the Election Commission through the office of the Chief Returning Officer on Magh 6, 2082, while contesting the election from Gorkha-1. He later submitted another declaration to the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers on Chait 27, after becoming Home Minister. A comparison of the two declarations makes it clear that assets shown before he became a lawmaker were systematically concealed once he assumed ministerial office.

The most serious question arises from loan-related details that he failed to disclose at all while serving as a minister. In the declaration submitted to the Election Commission, he had stated that he had lent Kailash Paswan and Manoj Gurung amounts of Rs 670,000 and Rs 780,000 respectively. However, the declaration filed at the Prime Minister’s Office after he became a minister makes no mention of these loans. Similarly, a loan of Rs 375,000 taken from Vijay Shrestha, grandson of Birbal Shrestha, is also absent from the latter declaration. A deed of loan reportedly drawn up at the Ward 5 Office of Kathmandu Metropolitan City on Shrawan 21, 2080, attests to this transaction. The lending and borrowing of such sums without disclosed sources is inherently suspicious. Moreover, the law requires ward office certification, tax clearance certificates, and the presence of a public representative for such transactions, none of which Gurung appears to have fulfilled.

Discrepancies also abound in the declaration of gold and jewellery. In the declaration submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office on Chait 27, Gurung claimed to possess 89 tolas of gold and six kilograms of silver, citing ancestral property as the source. Yet the declaration filed at the Chief Returning Officer’s office makes no mention of silver whatsoever. Furthermore, while the source of gold was initially shown merely as “ancestral,” the subsequent declaration adds “business” as an additional source. In terms of valuation, the earlier declaration had stated the gold to be worth Rs 16.8 million, a figure that has been removed from the later declaration.

Bank account details too lack credibility. The post-ministerial declaration lists accounts with Laxmi Sunrise, Nabil, and Sanima Bank, with balances clearly indicated. However, the declaration submitted to the Election Commission makes no mention of the Sanima Bank account at all.

An even more alarming aspect concerns share transactions. The later declaration submitted as a minister shows only 3,000 shares worth Rs 300,000 in Hope Holding Pvt. Ltd., whereas the pre-ministerial declaration had shown 100,000 shares valued at Rs 10 million. Gurung has also failed to disclose in his ministerial declaration shares held in Star Micro Insurance of Janakpur, Liberty Micro Insurance of Pokhara, and Adventure Villa Pvt. Ltd. The earlier declaration shows he held shares worth Rs 500,000 in Star, Rs 500,000 in Liberty, and Rs 700,000 in Adventure Villa. Similarly, secondary shares valued at Rs 30 million have also been omitted from the ministerial declaration, though Rs 27,456,200 is shown as shares traded on the stock market.

Vehicle details also reveal inconsistencies. The earlier declaration contains no information about any vehicle, while the later one lists an MG S5 car, registration number 032 Cha 4477, valued at Rs 479,900. The vehicle was purchased on Asoj 16, well before the Magh 6 declaration was filed, yet its non-disclosure in the Election Commission filing confirms that false information was provided to state authorities.

The revelation of concealed assets comes at a time when discussions are underway about reinstating Gurung to the very post he resigned from on Baisakh 10, following the controversy over his asset declaration and his partnership with middleman Bhatt. The government constituted a three-member investigation committee on Baisakh 31 under the leadership of former High Court Judge Achyut Bhandari with a 15-day deadline to submit its report. However, questions are being raised about the committee’s impartiality given the backgrounds of its members. Chairman Bhandari is considered close to the government and is reportedly aspiring to become a commissioner at the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority. Committee member Shobhakant Paudel, a former head of the Department of Revenue Investigation, is widely reported to have long enjoyed a cordial relationship with Gurung.

A legal expert familiar with the case remarked, “The committee cannot grant immunity to anyone on matters covered by the Income Tax Act and the Money Laundering Act. If lending and borrowing without disclosed sources is proven, the Money Laundering Act, 2064, shall be attracted.”