Kathmandu, Aug. 21 -- Prime Minister Balendra Shah and his secretariat have come under parliamentary scrutiny over allegations that officials of the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority were held at the Prime Minister's Office for seven hours and pressured to prosecute officials in a passport procurement case.

Rabi Lamichhane, chair of the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party, said on Thursday that obstructing the CIAA's work was an offence. He urged the constitutional commission to act if the government had interfered with its investigation.

Speaking at a meeting of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee, Lamichhane said that, as the leader of the party running the government, he would not object if the CIAA took acti...