Giribahadur Sunar, Nepal’s proposed ambassador to Saudi Arabia, told the Parliamentary Hearing Committee on Wednesday that he had been in a romantic relationship with a woman who later accused him of sexual violence. Responding to lawmakers’ questions about a complaint filed against him, Sunar said the relationship dated back 13 years and that a quarrel took place over the phone after the woman went abroad. He characterised the incident as a phone dispute, not violence.
Sunar’s account of the complaint
Sunar acknowledged the past relationship while appearing before the committee, which questioned him about the complaint as it considered his proposed diplomatic appointment. According to his account, the disagreement occurred by telephone after the woman had gone abroad. He maintained that what happened was an argument and rejected the description of it as sexual violence.
The woman’s accusation and Sunar’s response were central to the hearing. The committee heard his account in the context of the complaint, while lawmakers sought clarification about the relationship and the circumstances surrounding it. The facts provided about the hearing do not establish any further details of the alleged incident or the complaint’s progress.
The timing was a key element of Sunar’s explanation: he said the relationship had been 13 years earlier. He did not describe it as a current relationship. His answer also framed the dispute as a phone conversation that turned into a quarrel after the woman went abroad, rather than an episode of violence.
Lawmakers raise questions about his marriage
Lawmakers also questioned Sunar about how he could have been in a relationship with another woman while he had a wife at home. Their questions brought his marital status into the discussion and challenged him to explain the relationship in that context.
The exchange put two issues before the committee: the woman’s allegation of sexual violence and Sunar’s account of a past romantic relationship and telephone argument. Sunar’s response addressed the nature of the dispute, while lawmakers’ questions focused in part on how the relationship fitted with his being married. The available information does not provide further details of his answer to that specific question.
Appointment under committee scrutiny
Sunar appeared before the Parliamentary Hearing Committee as the proposed ambassador to Saudi Arabia. The hearing gave lawmakers an opportunity to question him about the complaint before them and his explanation of the events. His proposed appointment formed the broader context for the examination, but the details supplied about Wednesday’s session focus on the accusation, his account of the past relationship and the questions about his marriage.
Sunar’s position, as reported at the hearing, was that the matter involved a phone quarrel and did not amount to violence. The allegation against him and his denial of violence remain distinct accounts of the episode. No further information was provided about any additional evidence, a committee decision, or the next steps in the appointment process.
