KATHMANDU: Rabi Lamichhane, the chairman of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, directed a series of questions at the Chief Commissioner of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) Prem Kumar Rai during the parliament’s State Affairs Committee meeting.
During the committee meeting held on Wednesday, Lamichhane raised pertinent questions to Chief Commissioner Rai regarding alleged corruption in the Maoist combatant camps, irregularities in wide-body procurement, and the Yeti/Omni cases.
He inquired about the status of the investigation into corruption related to the militant camps, asking, “What has happened to the inquiry into corruption at the militant camps? Has it been halted since there was a change in leadership at the authority?”
Furthermore, he sought clarification on the progress made in response to an audit committee’s report highlighting irregularities amounting to 4 billion rupees in the wide-body aircraft acquisition. He stated, “The audit committee flagged irregularities amounting to 4 billion rupees in the wide-body procurement. What steps have been taken to address this issue?”
Lamichhane also expressed concerns about the CIAA’s declining rate of case filings and raised questions regarding the reasons behind this trend. He pondered, “Why is the rate of case filings by CIAA decreasing? Is this due to commitments made by Commissioners to appease certain individuals? Has someone deliberately interfered with the process?”
He went on to accuse the Authority of neglecting allegations of corruption against the president of the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA), despite an audit committee’s report indicating embezzlement of 580 million rupees in the past.
“FIFA imposed a 10-year ban for irregular financial transactions, and this was noticed by international observers. Why did Nepalese authorities not take action on this matter?” the RPP Chairman said.
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