Update: The Cabinet yesterday submitted the details and evidences of the charges it had made against the three government secretaries to the Royal Civil Service Commission, just before the deadline ended at 4pm.

Civil service commission officials confirmed receiving the details in a sealed envelope just before the two weeks time the commission had given to the Cabinet for submission.

The commission on December 29 has asked the Cabinet for details and evidences of the charges against the secretaries for them to investigate the case. Without the details, the commission had conveyed to the Cabinet that it was not in a position to accept the “surrendering of the secretaries.”

Citing the legal provisions of the Constitution, the Civil Service Act of Bhutan, 2010, and the Bhutan Civil Service Rules and Regulations, 2012, the commission had informed the Cabinet that, “the three Secretaries in question will remain on authorised absence with benefits until the matter is resolved.

A month ago, the Cabinet had surrendered Cabinet secretary, Dasho Penden Wangchuk, economic affairs secretary, Dasho Sonam Tshering, and the foreign secretary, Yeshey Dorji, for RCSC’s action, or until the completion of the Anti-Corruption Commission’s (ACC) investigation.

According to the Cabinet, the economic affairs secretary has misused the institution of the Committee of Secretaries to raise, discuss and take action on allegations made on him by a foreign magazine.

The foreign secretary is said to have misrepresented the government by sending a formal letter to the Government of India without the approval of the foreign minister or the Prime Minister, while the Cabinet Secretary was charged for not keeping the Prime Minister informed of the Committee of Secretaries’ discussions and decisions.