Despite months of screening and vetting 4,500 applicants, the government’s selection of ambassadors has come under scrutiny, with two of its nominees facing complaints that raise questions about their eligibility and suitability for the posts.

On September 18, the government recommended 13 ambassadors after setting eligibility criteria and screening applicants. But its nominees for Saudi Arabia and Japan are now facing serious complaints before Parliament’s Hearing Committee, putting their proposed appointments under scrutiny.

Giri Bahadur Sunar, nominated as ambassador to Saudi Arabia, faces allegations of sexual harassment, violence and threats against a woman, as well as financial wrongdoing. Jigyan Kumar Thapa, nominated for Japan, faces questions over his permanent residency status in the country and potential conflicts of interest arising from his personal and financial ties there.

The allegations remain unproven. Sunar has challenged his accusers to provide evidence, while Thapa says he surrendered his Japanese permanent residency in March and has no financial interests in the country. 

Saudi Arabia nominee faces allegations of abuse and extortion 

Parliament’s Hearing Committee held a closed-door meeting on Monday with people who filed complaints against Sunar. A woman who alleges that he subjected her to sexual harassment and threats presented details of her complaint. 

The committee then sought information from the Lalitpur District Police Range about action taken over the allegations, from the Department of Immigration on whether Sunar had been deported from Germany, and from relevant authorities about his political affiliations. 

The woman’s complaint describes incidents spanning over two decades. She says she first met Sunar and his wife at Osho Tapoban [in Kathmandu] in 2004, and that she and Sunar continued to meet at the spiritual centre from 2009. Sunar allegedly told her that he was unhappy in his marriage and that his wife mistreated him. 

The complaint says Sunar began a relationship with the married woman after 2010 and urged her to divorce her husband, who was living abroad, and be with him.

It alleges that Sunar pressured her to take her own life along with her minor daughter. He allegedly threatened to kill the woman and her husband, slit their throats and told her to jump into the sea and die. The complaint says he made repeated threats at night while under the influence of alcohol.

The matter reached the police around 2013, according to the complaint. Sunar allegedly kept private photographs of the woman and offensive written material about her, and admitted to the police that he had sent them to her relatives and sannyasis at Osho Tapoban.

The woman says this exposed her to further distress within her family and community.

The complaint states that Sunar apologised to the police and signed a written undertaking promising not to threaten, harass, or harm the woman, or contact her family. Despite that undertaking, he allegedly recorded a video featuring her minor daughter and uploaded it to YouTube in 2020.

The woman also alleges caste-based discrimination and gender-based abuse. In a 2015 interview with Kantipur Saptahik, Sunar reportedly claimed that she had refused to marry him because of his caste. The complaint says the alleged mistreatment continued afterwards.

After the complaints became public, Sunar allegedly telephoned the woman and urged her not to file a complaint or appear before the hearing committee. She raised the alleged pressure during Monday’s meeting.

A lawmaker from the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) who sits on the committee described the complaint as serious.

“We found the complaint against Sunar to be serious. We have taken it seriously,” the lawmaker said.

The government’s ambassadorial appointment directive says candidates must have high moral character.

Sunar rejects allegations

Sunar challenged the complainants to substantiate their allegations with evidence and said the claims were being exaggerated.

“The allegations against me should be backed by evidence, shouldn’t they? There are courts and the government,” he said. “Whenever someone from the Dalit community makes progress, a section of people tries to destroy them.”

He acknowledged having an argument with the woman over the telephone but said it had happened more than 18 years ago, when she was abroad and he was in Nepal.

“These matters date back 18–19 years. She was abroad, and I was here. A minor issue has now been blown out of proportion,” he said. “Who doesn’t have arguments over the phone? Anyone can get into an argument over the phone.”

He also claimed that he had not been in contact with the woman in recent years.

 A separate complaint accuses Sunar of collecting Rs3.3 million in connection with the promotion of a Nepal Police deputy inspector general, allegedly in cahoots with Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) lawmaker Khagendra Sunar. According to the complaint, Khagendra collected money from various individuals while Giri Bahadur managed the arrangements.

Sunar also challenged those making the allegation to produce evidence.

“The allegations about collecting money also need to be proven. Filing a complaint alone is not enough,” he said.

Another complaint alleges that Sunar approached the Foreign Ministry with Swami Anand Arun as part of efforts to secure his nomination for ambassador.

His political affiliations have also been questioned. The government’s appointment directive disqualifies people affiliated with political parties, and the committee has been given a list identifying Sunar as a member of the central committee of Hamro Nepal Party, which has since merged with the RSP.

Kantipur tried to contact Sunar for further comment but could not reach him. The telephone number on the curriculum vitae he submitted to the foreign ministry was switched off. Calls through WhatsApp went unanswered, and he did not respond to a message outlining the allegations.

Japan nominee questioned over permanent residency

Two complaints have been filed against Thapa, the government’s nominee for ambassador to Japan. One was submitted by a person in Nepal and the other by a Nepali living in Japan. Both ask the Hearing Committee to reject his nomination and investigate his eligibility, financial interests and links with Japan.

Ujjwal Krishna Shrestha, who filed the complaint from Nepal, alleges that the nomination involved serious lapses despite the Foreign Ministry’s stated commitment to competitive selection.

He argues that Thapa is unsuitable because he obtained permanent residency in Japan and settled there with his family. Shrestha’s complaint also alleges that Thapa had relinquished his Nepali citizenship, a claim Thapa disputes.

The complaint questions whether the government complied with the ‘Guidelines related to the appointment of ambassadors 2018’, which says candidates must not hold permanent or temporary residency permits or equivalent privileges in a foreign country.

Arun Parajuli, who lives in Japan, has raised questions about Thapa’s eligibility, potential conflicts of interest, and the transparency of the selection process. His complaint cites publicly available information indicating that Thapa obtained Japanese permanent residency in 2018 and said he owned a house in Kanagawa Prefecture.

Thapa told Kantipur that he had surrendered his Japanese permanent residency on March 25, 2026.

“I obtained permanent residency in Japan in 2018. As of March 25, 2026, I have given up everything related to it,” he said.

He said he had no personal financial interests or outstanding obligations in Japan. His wife and children, however, continue to hold Japanese permanent residency.

“My family members have permanent residency and are living there. The children are studying. There was no legal requirement for them to give it up, but I decided to surrender mine because I wanted to do something for my country,” he said.

“Obtaining permanent residency in Japan does not mean giving up Nepali citizenship. Japanese citizenship and permanent residency are different,” he said, adding that Japan’s system was different from that of the United States.

The appointment directive also says candidates must not be working for a non-governmental organisation funded by international or foreign aid at the time of appointment. It requires them to have no conflicting interests in the country where they are to serve.

Thapa’s former role as general secretary of the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) in Japan has also been raised in the complaints.

Article 14 of Nepal’s Constitution provides for non-resident Nepali citizenship. The constitutional definition covers eligible people living in countries outside the SAARC region who previously held Nepali citizenship by descent or birth, or whose parents or grandparents held such citizenship, and who later acquired foreign citizenship.

The complaint argues that Thapa’s former NRNA role warrants scrutiny of his citizenship status. It links the issue to his Japanese residency, though Thapa maintains that permanent residency and citizenship are distinct.

Non-resident Nepali citizenship provides economic, cultural, and social rights in Nepal but not political rights.

Thapa said he had no business interests or outstanding financial obligations in Japan and had returned to serve his country.

“I was a salaried employee. I was an ordinary worker and had no trade or business in Japan,” he said.

The parliamentary committee began confirmation hearings on Monday for nominees to ambassadorial posts in 13 countries. Sunar and Thapa are scheduled to appear before the committee towards the end of the process.