Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel on Tuesday, July 15, administered the oath of office to Sebantak Pokharel, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Finance, as Chairman of the Nepal Insurance Authority.
Pokharel was appointed to the post by a Cabinet meeting held late Monday, and will serve as Chairman of the Authority’s board of directors until further arrangements are made, the Finance Ministry said in a press note.
The position became vacant after the government formed a three-member committee to investigate the credentials of Chairman Sharad Ojha following a complaint lodged against him. Ojha was automatically suspended upon the committee’s formation.
[Read: Insurance Authority Chair Ojha Suspended as Govt Forms Committee to Probe His Credentials ]
The committee, constituted under Sub-section 2 of Section 12 of the Insurance Act, 2022, is led by former High Court Judge Krishna Giri, with Jeevan Prakash Sitaula and Kapil Dev Oli as members. The Ministry of Finance said that all three formally accepted their appointment letters Tuesday.
