By Our Reporter
The main duty of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) is to control corruption. However, its chief Prem Kumar Rai himself has faced a corruption charge.
After the Special Court in its recent full-text verdict said that the CIAA was filing corruption cases selectively, a formal complaint has been filed at the CIAA against Rai.
The complaint, registered under number C-003498, was submitted by Yuvraj Paudel (Saphal) of Sindhuli on Sunday this week.
Rai is accused of being involved in three high-profile corruption cases: The wide-body aircraft procurement scam, Nepal Oil Corporation’s (NOC) land purchase irregularities, and the fake Bhutanese refugee scandal.
The complaint demands a thorough investigation into Rai and prosecution under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
In the wide-body aircraft case, the Special Court’s full-text verdict criticised “selective prosecution,” noting that key decision-makers like Rai, who served as Tourism Secretary at the time, were not charged. This, the court said, undermined equal justice.
In the NOC land scam, Rai allegedly approved over Rs 1.5 billion in controversial land purchases as then-Supply Secretary and NOC Board Chair.
While former Executive Director Gopal Khadka faced prosecution, Rai was not investigated. The case was reportedly shelved during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the refugee scam, some accused testified that they handed over cash in Rai’s vehicle when he was Home Secretary. Yet, no inquiry was launched.
Paudel urged Rai to resign and cooperate with an independent investigation, citing the Special Court’s indirect indication of his responsibility.
With the Special Court’s verdict, public as well as political leaders have also demanded that Rai should step down. However, fully protected by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, CIAA chief is not likely to resign.
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