KATHMANDU: The Kathmandu Special Court has convicted four individuals, including the former General Manager of Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC), Sugat Ratna Kansakar, for their involvement in irregularities surrounding the purchase of wide-body aircraft by the Corporation.
The court, comprising Chairman Tek Narayan Kunwar and members Tej Narayan Singh Rai and Ritendra Thapa, found the accused guilty.
Kansakar, who served as the General Manager of Nepal Airlines, has been sentenced to two years and nine months in prison.
In addition to the sentence, he has been ordered to pay a fine of Rs 1.47 billion and an additional fine of Rs 122,259,456.
As per the Senior Citizens Act, Kansakar will receive a 50% reduction in his prison sentence.
Shankar Prasad Adhikari, the then Chairman of the Corporation’s Board of Directors and Secretary at the Ministry of Tourism, has been sentenced to one year and nine months in prison.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 122,259,456 on Adhikari and ordered the confiscation of the same amount.
Shishir Kumar Dhungana, a former secretary and board member of Nepal Airlines Corporation, has been sentenced to one year and six months in prison. Dhungana has also been fined Rs 122,259,456.
Buddhisagar Lamichhane, who was then serving as the joint secretary at the Ministry of Tourism, has received a sentence of one year and six months in prison, with a fine of Rs 122,259,456. The decision to recover the fine also applies to Lamichhane.
The court also found three representatives of foreign companies involved in the aircraft purchase process guilty.
They have been sentenced to one year and six months in prison each and fined Rs 122,259,456.
However, the court acquitted Jivan Bahadur Shahi, the then Minister for Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, as well as 27 other defendants, including two foreigners.
The case stemmed from a corruption investigation into the purchase of the wide-body aircraft, filed by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority.
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