Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali and Nepali Ambassador to the United States Arjun Karki confirmed this to Nepali media, recently.

“The process for purchasing the residence had been going on for a couple of years and we had zeroed in on two assets in DC. The government had allocated USD 8.5 million in its budget. The new asset is approved by the US State Department and we purchased it through a legal agency,” informed Karki.

He further informed that the old ambassadorial residence will be used as the embassy premises and the current building will be revamped as the new residence for the staff.

More than Ivanka Trump’s!
It’s surprising that the total cost of the new residence, excluding the additional three percent commission usually to the middleman, equals to the price of total rent that Nepal pays for its missions, embassy buildings and residences of the embassy staff and the ambassadors across the world, annually.

Other interesting aspect is that the total price is also near to the cost of former US president Barack Obama’s house and exceeds the size of Donald Trump daughter’s rented house in the same area.

While Ivanka Trump’s house is a 6,870 sqft building, Nepali ambassador’s new asset is around 10,135 sqft.

The government’s decision has drawn wide criticism from the Nepali diaspora in Washington, Virginia and Maryland and others in the diplomatic circle.

“Another property of moderate rate can be easily found in the DC area. There was no need to purchase such an expensive mansion,” says a former Nepali diplomat who served in Washington DC.

A sitting Foreign Ministry official asks, “Why did they look at only two properties and not consider other alternatives?”

Meanwhile, Gyawali informed that the government is also planning to have permanent buildings for its embassies at various other destinations too.

“We are planning to have permanent buildings or residences for the embassy staff in some 15 capitals where we have diplomatic presence,” says Gyawali.

The government has purchased a new building in Thailand recently and is in search for properties in Geneva, Brussels, Canberra and Tokyo.

Seems more in the offing!

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Nepali Embassy Spokesperson Jeevan Prakash Shrestha revealed the Embassy’s plans to buy a new residence in a recent statement.

“The Government of Nepal has asked the Embassy to buy a new residence as the present residence doesn’t have space for parties and meetings,” says Shrestha.

As the reports say, the proposed residential property (nearly 10,000 sq.ft. area) is going to be costlier than the ex-US President Barack Obama’s new house purchased last year.

To our surprise, it is most likely to be a whopping USD 7.25 million worth property after the mandatory 3 percent closing fee set by the US Government for every buyer!

Some other sources from the Embassy and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) say the property cost is about USD 8 million with USD 20,000 maintenance cost per month.

Speaking on the property’s cost, Shrestha explained that they would not go beyond the government’s budgetary allocation.

“The house we are planning to buy is a bit expensive because only a few houses meeting the government criteria were available in the area,” he adds.

Responding to the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) Nepal, Shrestha clarified that there are no plans to buy residences for staffers anytime soon.

As the sources say, the Embassy had published a procurement tender notice in 2017 itself and the process is currently at a conclusion stage.

However, the move is still under government’s perusal. “Why not buy an apartment at around US$ 740,000 to 925,000 (80 to 100 million rupees) to save the cost? What is the motive behind buying an 8-9 million dollars residence when there is already a four-story residence?” MoFA asked the Embassy citing Office of the Auditor General (OAG) report.

Currently, the Ambassador is residing in a four-story residence at the heart of Washington DC.

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