Fiscal Nepal
First Business News Portal in English from Nepal
KATHMANDU: The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed a corruption case against Joint Secretary Tirtharaj Bhattarai, Section Officer Yagya Aryal, and four others in connection with the visit-visa extortion scheme at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA). The charges were registered at the Special Court on Thursday.
According to the CIAA, Bhattarai—who was serving as the Chief of Immigration at TIA—was arrested on May 21, 2024 (Jestha 7, 2082) for allegedly collecting illegal payments from Nepali travelers departing on visit visas. Aryal and the other defendants were also investigated for their roles in facilitating or benefiting from the scheme.
The anti-graft body has demanded a recovery of approximately Rs 7.9 million from Bhattarai and Rs 500,000 from Aryal. The remaining four defendants are described as middlemen and associates involved in the illegal visa-processing network, according to a CIAA source.
Authorities say that systematic extortion targeting outbound Nepali travelers on visit visas had been entrenched at TIA for years. Based on police investigations, the District Attorney’s Office, Kathmandu, had earlier filed organized crime and forgery charges on January 24, 2024 (Magh 10, 2080) against 22 individuals, including nine immigration officers.
However, nearly a year later, on November 30, 2024 (Mangsir 14, 2081), the Kathmandu District Court convicted only the middlemen and travel-agency operators, clearing the immigration officials of criminal charges. The CIAA’s latest corruption filing now places direct accountability back on government officers previously linked to the long-running visit-visa racket.
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