The anti-graft body has filed corruption case at the Special Court against 55 individuals including five former ministers and several former secretaries on charges of mis-appropriation of billions of rupees in the China built Pokhara International Regional Airport. This was the biggest corruption scandal revealed by the CIAA in the Nepalese history.
The former ministers against whom the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) filed corruption case include former government ministers and secretaries Ram Sharan Mahat, Bhim Prasad Acharya, late Post Bahadur Bogati, Ram Kumar Shrestha and Dipak Chandra Amatya, according to a statement issued by the CIAA.
The CIAA has charged the 55 individuals with misusing over Rs. 8 billion 367 million in connection with the construction project of the Pokhara airport, informed Ganesh Bahadur Adhikari, assistant spokesperson of the CIAA. Former director generals of the Civil Aviation Authority Tri Ratna Maharjan, Ratish Chandra Lal Suman and suspended DG of CAAN Pradeep Adhikari were among the 55 people against whom the charge-sheets were registered by the CIAA.
Among those charged are former secretaries Sushil Ghimire, Madhukar Marasini, Suman Prasad Sharma, Surya Prasad Acharya, Suresh Man Shrestha, Bhesh Raj Sharma and several joint secretaries.
Apart from 55 Individuals, China CMAC Engineering Co. Ltd., the Chinese government owned body that constructed the airport has also been made defendants in the corruption charge sheet. They were charged with causing a loss of more than Rs. 8 billion to the government while constructing the Pokhara Airport.
The airport was constructed by China CAMC Engineering Co. Ltd. by inflating the cost more than 8 billion rupees causing a huge loss to the government.
