KATHMANDU: Nagarik Unmukti Party chair and former minister Ranjita Shrestha appeared before the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) on Wednesday to record her statement in the Rs 7.8 million bribery case linked to land transfers in Pokhara’s Litchi Bagan area.
Shrestha’s name surfaced in the case following leaked audio conversations that allegedly show her involvement as a middlewoman between former Federal Affairs and General Administration Minister Raj Kumar Gupta and UML party cadre Sujan Lama.
The recordings, which have gone viral, appear to capture negotiations related to the transfer of land and appointments of officials.
Shrestha reportedly underwent a voice test at the CIAA and provided a detailed statement about her role in the alleged bribery network.
The controversy erupted after audio tapes revealed an alleged bribe of Rs 7.8 million in exchange for halting the transfer of the chief of the Pokhara Land Revenue Office and appointing the chair of the Land Commission in Kaski.
Gupta resigned following the leak, reportedly at the instruction of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. He appeared at the CIAA on Tuesday, where he also underwent a voice test and denied the allegations, insisting the audio was not his.
Gupta, a central committee member of UML, was attending the party’s ongoing meeting when he was summoned. He has publicly claimed he did not take a bribe, but admitted to leaving a bag of money at his official residence after “bargaining” with intermediaries.
CIAA officials say they launched an investigation after receiving formal complaints along with the audio files. The agency has verified that the voices in the tape belong to Gupta and Sujan Lama.
Another leaked recording has also implicated current Land Management Minister Balram Adhikari in a separate Rs 3.2 million bribery negotiation. However, there has been no official probe launched against Adhikari.
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