Kathmandu, March 23: Nepal’s anti-corruption body has filed another case at the Special Court over alleged financial irregularities in the construction of Pokhara International Airport, naming 21 individuals, including two Chinese nationals.
The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) said around Rs 461.5 million was misused during the project. This is the third case linked to the China-funded airport.
Investigators found that $2.8 million set aside under the EPC contract for consultancy services was not used as intended. Instead, officials allegedly hired a consultant outside the agreed terms and arranged payments through a separate budget of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal.
A contract worth Rs 428.93 million was awarded to ERMC Anot Slate JV, and over Rs 406 million has already been paid in breach of procurement rules and contract conditions, according to the CIAA.
The same consultant later helped revise the project’s cost document, sharply cutting the consultancy allocation to just $10,000. The remaining amount was diverted to expenses not allowed under the contract. This led to an additional Rs 372 million being released in violation of existing laws.
The CIAA said the total financial loss to the state stands at Rs 461.58 million and has sought recovery along with legal action against those involved.
Among the accused are former tourism secretary Kedar Bahadur Adhikari and former CAAN chiefs Pradeep Adhikari, Sanjiv Gautam and Rajan Pokharel. Several other CAAN officials and individuals linked to the consulting firm have also been charged.
The contractor, China CAMC Engineering, along with its chairman Wang Bo and project manager Yang Zhigang, has also been named in the case.
Earlier, the CIAA had filed a separate case against 55 individuals, including former ministers and secretaries, seeking Rs 8.36 billion in damages over the same project. Another case was later filed against former project chief Binesh Munankarmi over alleged unexplained assets.
People’s News Monitoring Service
Login to add a comment