KATHMANDU: More than 11,000 asset declarations have been submitted to Property Investigation Commission, but missing decades-old records and a constitutional dispute are complicating the process.

Retire officials say poor government record-keeping has made it difficult to produce historical land, banking and property documents. The commission has set the end of June as the final submission deadline, after which it will begin reviewing declarations.

It is also facing legal scrutiny after former supreme Court justice Ishwor Prasad Khatiwada refused to submit his declaration, arguing that an executive-appointed commission cannot investigate former judges under the constitutional principle of separation of powers.

After the government launched a drive to scrutinise the assets of public officials who have held office since 2006, participation has fallen short of expectations, with just over 11,000 asset declarations submitted despite an estimated 25,000 officials being required to file.

The four-member commission, led by former Supreme Court justice Rajendra Kumar Bhandari, was established to collect, verify and investigate the assets of senior political leaders and high-ranking public officials, from local representatives to prime ministers. It has also received around 3,000 complaints seeking investigations into the wealth of various public figures.

The campaign has faced mounting resistance, particularly from former judges, who argue that the executive-appointed commission has no constitutional authority to investigate retired members of the judiciary. The Forum of Former Judges, Nepal, has urged its members to boycott the process, although two former chief justices and six former Supreme Court justices have already submitted their declarations.

The commission was forced to extend its original one-month deadline until July 16 after receiving fewer filings than expected. Officials say submissions have increased in recent weeks and expect the total to rise significantly before the extended deadline.

The commission was formed following a Cabinet decision on March 27 after Prime Minister Balendra (Balen) Shah took office and formally began work on April 22. It is chaired by Bhandari and includes former justices Chandi Raj Dhakal and Purushottam Parajuli, former deputy inspector general Ganesh KC and chartered accountant Prakash Lamsal.

While judges and civil servants are already required to submit annual asset declarations under existing laws, critics argue that requiring former officials to disclose the same assets again is legally questionable and unnecessarily burdensome. Nepal last undertook a similar nationwide wealth investigation in 2002, but the commission’s report was never made public.