KATHMANDU: The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has named Suryabinayak Municipality Mayor Basudev Thapa among 93 individuals in a major corruption case filed Thursday at the Special Court.
The case involves illegal land purchases and land ceiling exemptions tied to Patanjali Yogpeeth in Kavrepalanchok.
The 632-page corruption charge sheet also implicates former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, former Land Reform Minister Dambar Bahadur Shrestha, and former Secretary Chhabilal Pant.
The CIAA alleges that a group of ministers, bureaucrats, and private actors were complicit in bypassing land ownership ceilings to benefit Patanjali Yogpeeth and affiliated individuals.
Thapa has been accused of purchasing land beyond legal limits and is listed as a defendant for the purpose of land seizure only. Therefore, he will not be suspended from his mayoral position, according to CIAA spokesperson Rajendra Paudel.
The land in question, covering over 554 ropanis in Sanga, Kavre, is alleged to have been illegally transferred through fraudulent means. Thapa admitted to buying a portion of the land for Rs 13 million from Dilli Dhwaj Barailee but claimed he was unaware of its links to Patanjali.
The CIAA states that the illegal transactions were conducted under pressure from high-level officials, including then Prime Minister Nepal and his Cabinet. Former Secretary Pant admitted in earlier statements that he forwarded the proposal under intense political pressure despite legal concerns.
The case has reignited debates on political influence in administrative decisions and the role of senior officials in upholding legal and ethical standards.
Thapa was elected mayor of Suryabinayak in 2022, defeating candidates from the Nepali Congress and CPN (Unified Socialist) alliance. He now joins a growing list of individuals under investigation in what is shaping up to be one of Nepal’s largest corruption scandals involving public land.
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