Nepal’s finance minister Janardan Sharma resigned on Wednesday after the parliamentary speaker ordered an investigation into allegations of unauthorised changes in the budget. Opposition parties and some lawmakers of the ruling centre-left alliance have accused Sharma of inviting “unauthorised persons” to make changes in the rate of some taxes in the federal budget just a day before he presented the spending plan for the fiscal year 2022-23.
He has denied any wrongdoing. The “unauthorised persons” refers to people outside the government with no legal power to make amendments to the budget.
“I am resigning to help the investigation,” said Sharma while addressing lawmakers, adding that he was ready to face the investigation as he had not done anything wrong.
“I am ready to face not one but thousands of investigations.” Pressure on Sharma has also mounted after the finance ministry said CCTV footage from the day when the alleged changes in the budget.