Corruption charges filed against two former DEOs and seven others over school building scam

KATHMANDU: The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed corruption charges against nine individuals, including two former District Education Officers (DEOs), for allegedly embezzling funds during the construction of a school building in Khotang.

The case involves the construction of a four-room building for Shree Janata Higher Secondary School in Diprung Chuichumma Rural Municipality–4, where authorities allegedly colluded to misuse public funds. According to CIAA, former DEOs Bal Krishna Chapagain and Ganesh Prasad Bhattarai, former accounts officer Bhuvan Prasad Acharya, accountant Suresh Kumar Shrestha, and sub-engineer Shiva Raj Rai are among the accused.

Others charged include Hem Bahadur Basnet, then principal of the school and member of the construction committee, Dilip Kumar Rai, chair of the school management and building committee, Church Bahadur Bishwakarma, chair of the committee, and Babendra Rai, who was contracted to construct the building.

The CIAA report states that although the total estimated budget for the building was Rs 3.21 million, Rs 2.4 million was granted in two installments under the School Sector Reform Programme during fiscal years 2070/71 BS and 2071/72 BS. The agreement stipulated that only up to 20% of the total grant could be released before the DPC (Damp Proof Course) and tie beam works were completed. However, the full amount was released even before the DPC work was done.

Additionally, Rs 665,000 allocated in 2074/75 BS for library management and book purchases was allegedly diverted and used for the same construction.

A technical assessment by the rural municipality found that only Rs 1.63 million had actually been spent on the building. The report further highlighted multiple defects: the building did not follow the approved design, the ground floor lacked proper flooring (PPC), walls were detached from columns, tie beams were missing, slab thickness was only 7 cm instead of the required 10 cm, beams had cracked, and the structure was unsafe for student use.

CIAA spokesperson Rajendra Kumar Paudel stated that the accused knowingly used substandard materials and manipulated construction standards for personal gain, causing significant loss to the government and public institutions. The charges include creating false documents and bills to fraudulently claim Rs 3.05 million in payments.