KATHMANDU: The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed an appeal at the Supreme Court challenging the Special Court’s verdict on the wide-body aircraft procurement case.
CIAA spokesperson Rajendra Kumar Paudel said the anti-graft body submitted the appeal on Tuesday, arguing that the Special Court erred by convicting only a few accused while acquitting many others involved in the controversial procurement deal.
In its earlier ruling, the Special Court had acquitted former Tourism Minister Jeevan Kumar Shahi, former board members of the Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC), and 14 employees, while it convicted 11 individuals.
Calling the verdict flawed, the CIAA has demanded that the Supreme Court annul the Special Court’s decision and impose punishment on all accused. The CIAA originally filed the case on April 4, 2024, and the Special Court delivered its judgment on December 5, 2024.
The wide-body procurement case had implicated former Minister Shahi, former Secretary Shankar Prasad Adhikari, former NAC Managing Director Shishir Kumar Dhungana, among 24 Nepali nationals, as well as six foreign individuals and two foreign supplier companies.
The case involved a financial claim of Rs 1.47 billion, which the CIAA maintains was misappropriated during the procurement of two Airbus aircraft for Nepal Airlines.
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