The State of Corruption and Anti- Corruption in Nepal at a Glimpse

Corruption is one of the serious problems faced by nation-states today. It is producing unwanted sway over the political system, development activities, economy and social order. Corruption manifests in various forms including fraud, embezzlement and extortion, destructions of property, abuse of public authority, nepotism, favoritism and private use of public property. Nepal is among the most corrupt countries around the world where many forms of corruption exist. Similarly, anti-corruption law has been in existence in Nepal for a long time. The first National Code (Muluki Ain) was enacted in 1854. In 1863 new national codes were issued which contained chapter on anti-bribery. This law provided a legal mandate to readdress public officials’ cases of bribes but not Rana rulers. In 1954, the Corruption Prevention Act, 1954 was formulated for the first time in Nepal. After that many anti-corruption initiations are being conducted by government, non-government, private and community level. However, anti-corruption movements are not working effectively in Nepal. This article tries to identify the main obstacles of anti-corruption movement in Nepal.