KATHMANDU: The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed a corruption case against former Director General of the Department of Health Services, Dr. Sangita Kaushal Mishra, along with 13 others.
They have been accused of corruption during the procurement process of mammography machines for the Department of Health Services.
According to the CIAA, the accused deliberately prepared a false Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) report, fake goods receipt documents, and forged bills and vouchers, claiming that all contracted equipment had been received, even though several items were missing. Based on those falsified documents, the officials allegedly approved and released payments, causing significant financial loss to the state. The CIAA has sought recovery of around Rs 140 million from Dr. Mishra alone.
The commission stated that the entire procurement process, from cost estimation to contract signing and payment, was marred by collusion and irregularities. It found that the cost estimate was artificially inflated to benefit the contractor company, Maxim Incorporation Trades Pvt. Ltd.
Despite incomplete delivery, the contractor was paid Rs 133.7 million, even though the approved procurement cost was Rs 127.5 million. The manufacturer’s actual price was found to be only Rs 68.5 million, indicating that approximately Rs 63 million was pocketed through collusion between suppliers and officials.
The total loss to the state is estimated at Rs 140.68 million.
The CIAA has filed the case at the Special Court, Kathmandu, seeking imprisonment, fines, and recovery of the embezzled amount under Sections 8(1)(a), (c), (e), and (f); Section 19(2); and Section 24 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2059.
Main defendants includes Dr. Sangita Kaushal Mishra – then Director General, Dr. Shrawan Kumar Thapa – then Director, Management Division, Dr. Surendra Prasad Chaurasia – Division Chief, Dr. Bibek Kumar Lal, Yadav Prasad Sapkota – Section Officer, Deepak Adhikari – Senior Public Health Officer, Bhuvan Prasad Kafle – Chief Financial Controller, Sita Ghimire – Legal Officer, Shambhu Prasad Dhakal – Accounts Officer, Ashish Chauhan – Biomedical Engineer, Padma Mishra – Biomedical Engineer, Tilak Ram Dhakal – Accountant, Sundar Bhusal – Director, Maxim Incorporation Trades Pvt. Ltd., and Maxim Incorporation Trades Pvt. Ltd. (company itself).
The CIAA has demanded imprisonment, fines, and recovery of the embezzled amount from all the accused.
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