KATHMANDU: The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed a corruption case related to the construction of the Pokhara Regional International Airport.
On Sunday, the CIAA registered a case at the Special Court against former ministers, senior officials, and other involved individuals, claiming damages worth Rs 8.36 billion.
Former Ministers for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Bhim Acharya, Ram Kumar Shrestha, Dipak Amatya, Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat, and the late Post Bahadur Bogati have been named as defendants.
The CIAA concluded that large-scale corruption took place during the airport’s construction and filed charge sheets against 55 individuals and the Chinese company China CAMC Engineering Co. Ltd.
In addition, former secretaries Sushil Ghimire, Sureshman Shrestha, Suman Prasad Sharma, joint secretaries Ranjan Krishna Aryal, Mohan Krishna Sapkota, former Director Generals of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal Tri Ratna Manandhar and Ratish Chandra Lal Suman, former board members, consultant Dr. Ram Krishna Timilsina, Prof. Dr. Rabindra Nath Shrestha, and dozens of senior officials have also been named as defendants.
The approved project cost was unlawfully increased from USD 169.697 million (including VAT and contingencies) to USD 244.04 million.
The contract was awarded to China CAMC Engineering despite being technically and financially unqualified, in violation of Nepal’s Public Procurement Act and Regulations.
An unauthorized “negotiation” process was used to inflate the cost estimates.
Multiple consultant committees were formed to create a protective shield for decision-makers.
The state suffered an illegal loss of USD 74.34 million (approximately Rs 8.37 billion).
The CIAA has sought imprisonment, fines equivalent to the claimed amount, and additional penalties under Section 8(1) of the Corruption Prevention Act, 2059. It has also sought equal punishment for the Chinese company and its officials as accomplices.
The Pokhara International Airport construction began in 2073 BS (2016) and was inaugurated in Poush 2079 BS (December 2022), but it has not yet come into full operation.
This case is being considered one of the largest corruption cases of the past decade in Nepal.
The CIAA stated that, in line with earlier directions of the Special Court not to combine incidents of different nature in a single charge sheet, it will conduct separate investigations into issues such as tax exemptions, hill cutting, and consultant appointments.
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