KATHMANDU: The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has lodged a corruption case against 19 individuals, including Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) lawmaker and seven forest officers from Kapilvastu district, at the Special Court.

The case has been brought forth on charges related to corruption and the unauthorized cutting down of forests beyond the limits stipulated by permission.

Reportedly, the Gautam Buddha Collaborative Forest Management Committee is implicated in the unauthorized deforestation.

Among the accused are former District Forest Officer Krishna Dutt Bhatta, Divisional Forest Officer Durga Bahadur Karki, Forest Management Committee Coordinator and Officer Mahendra Raj Wagle, Assistant Forest Officer Brahma Dev Mahatto, and Ranger Hemraj Pandit.

According to the CIAA, these illicit activities have resulted in a financial loss of Rs. 29,12,000 to the government.

Additionally, individuals implicated in the case include former Assistant Forest Officer Ganesh Kumar Tharu, Assistant Forest Officer Nagendra Prasad Singh, Foresters Ram Rakshya Kurmi and Ramtu Chaudhary, Forest Security Guards Sanjay Tharu, Sanjay Kewat, and Ram Gopal Tripathi, as well as former coordinator Janki Prasad Yadav, Ek Nath Ghimire (operator of Gorakh Furniture Industry), and Gita GC (operator of AR Furniture Purchase and Selling Center).