Gokul Baskota resigns as minister for communication and information technology

Baskota’s resignation follows the incriminating leak of an audio reporting where he was allegedly demanding Rs700 million in “commission” from a Swiss company. Gokul Baskota resigns as minister for communication and information technology

Gokul Prasad Baskota Post file photo.

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Post Report

Published at : February 20, 2020

Updated at : February 20, 2020 15:48

Kathmandu

Gokul Baskota has resigned as minister for communication and information technology.

Baskota’s resignation follows reports of him being allegedly caught on tape negotiating for a Rs700 million “commission” with the local agent for a Swiss company, according to a leaked audio recording obtained by the news portal, hamrakura.com.

Speaker Agni Sapkota informed the House of Representatives on Thursday of Baskota’s resignation.

“I have received informal information that he [Baskota] has resigned,” Sapkota told the House. “As the issue has entered the House, I would like to request you [the Nepali Congress] to allow the House to begin.”

[Read: How Nepal’s communications minister went from being a reporter to a hardline politician against free press]

The primary opposition Nepali Congress, which had issued a statement earlier on Thursday morning demanding Baskota’s resignation to facilitate an investigation into the bribery allegations, obstructed both Houses in the afternoon.

The Congress party also demanded a clarification from Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on the alleged charges against Baskota and an assurance of a fair investigation.

On the recording that was leaked earlier on Thursday, a voice purported to be Baskota’s can be heard negotiating with Bijaya Prakash Sharma Mishra, the local agent for a Swiss company vying for a government contract regarding security printing of passports and other sensitive material.