Fiscal Nepal
First Business News Portal in English from Nepal
KATHMANDU: The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed a major corruption case involving alleged irregularities in the construction of Pokhara International Airport, naming 55 individuals—including senior politicians and top bureaucrats—and one company as defendants.
The anti-graft body on Sunday registered the case at the Special Court, claiming financial damage of Rs 8.36 billion related to the airport project.
According to Special Court officials, the defendants include former Finance Minister Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat and former Tourism Ministers Post Bahadur Bogati, Ram Kumar Shrestha, Bhim Acharya, and Dipak Amatya. Bogati, a former Maoist vice-chair, died in late Bhadra 2071 BS, but has still been named in the case, in line with legal procedures.
Ram Kumar Shrestha served as Tourism Minister during the Khil Raj Regmi-led interim government. Bhim Acharya is currently a standing committee member of CPN-UML. Dipak Amatya, also from UML, served as Tourism Minister during the Sushil Koirala-led government and was appointed after Acharya was removed from the Cabinet.
The CIAA has also charged former Tourism Secretaries Sushil Ghimire, Suresh Man Shrestha, Suman Prasad Sharma, and Bhes Raj Sharma. In addition, then joint secretaries Madhu Marasini, Mohan Krishna Sapkota, Ranjan Krishna Aryal, and Suresh Acharya have been accused of involvement in corruption linked to the project. Marasini, Sapkota, and Acharya have since retired from government service.
Senior officials from the aviation regulator have also been implicated. The CIAA has named former Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) Rati Chandra Lal Suman and then project chief Pradip Adhikari as defendants.
Adhikari is already facing another CIAA case filed last Wednesday over alleged corruption in the construction of the Nalinchok Helipad, where the claimed financial damage amounts to Rs 135.7 million.
A Chinese construction company involved in the airport project has also been made a defendant. Former Supreme Court registrar Dr. Ram Krishna Timilsina has likewise been charged in the case.
According to CIAA sources, the commission included all officials involved in signing the loan agreement for the airport project to avoid allegations of selective prosecution.
The loan agreement for the construction of Pokhara International Airport was signed on March 21, 2016 (Chaitra 8, 2072 BS), and construction work began on January 10, 2017 (Poush 27, 2073 BS). The project was built with a Rs 21 billion loan from China and officially came into operation in January 2023 (Poush 2079 BS).
Pokhara International Airport, considered a national pride project aimed at strengthening Nepal’s aviation connectivity and tourism infrastructure, has been under prolonged scrutiny over cost overruns, procurement irregularities, and alleged misuse of public funds. Further proceedings and disclosures are expected as the case moves forward at the Special Court.
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