KATHMANDU, Nepal, April 16, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Nepal's government, elected last month on an anti-corruption platform, has formed a commission to investigate the assets of politicians and officials, an official said Thursday.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah, a 35-year-old rapper-turned-politician, won a landslide election victory on a platform of youth-driven political change in the first elections since deadly 2025 anti-corruption protests ousted the government.

Led by a former Supreme Court judge, the five-member commission will examine assets of top figures who have held public office since 2006.

Dipa Dahal, press and investigation advisor to the prime minister, said the commission was ordered by cabinet on Wednesday.

"The cabinet meeting made this decision," Dahal told AFP. "We are following up to confirm its timelines and other details."

Plans to form the commission were listed in the government's 100-point reform agenda issued after Shah took office.

Earlier this month Nepal issued an arrest warrant for former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and his wife in a money laundering investigation, the latest high-profile figure targeted under the new government.

Deuba, who is abroad, has rejected the allegations.

Investigations are also ongoing into former prime minister KP Sharma Oli and ex-home minister Ramesh Lekhak over their alleged roles in the deadly crackdown on the anti-corruption protests in September 2025.

The two men were arrested last month, but they have denied all accusations and were released after a court order.

The youth-led uprising began in Kathmandu and was triggered by a brief social media ban.

It spread countrywide the following day, fueled by longstanding frustration over corruption and economic hardship.

Nepal currently ranks 109th out of 180 countries on Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index.