KATHMANDU: The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority today filed corruption charges against 12 people including former proprietor of Pappu Construction and lawmaker Hari Narayan Prasad Sah Rauniyar, and his son, current proprietor of the company Sumit Rauniyar for using substandard materials in construction of Babai Bridge.

CIAA has accused Federal Socialist Forum Nepal lawmaker Rauniyar and his son of embezzling Rs 193.2 million.

The anti-graft body’s action came in the backdrop of allegations that Pappu Construction is awarded contracts worth billions of rupees even when it fails to complete projects in time.

CIAA had initiated an investigation following complaints that Pappu Construction had compromised quality of the Babai Bridge of Jabdighat, built to link Gulariya and Barbardiya Municipality.

The complainant said that substandard materials had been used in construction and parts of the bridge broke even before inauguration of the bridge.

Moreover, anti-graft body has also accused government officials involved in the project of endorsing the inadequate line level and pier height of the bridge and not properly surveying the field. It also said that piles of the bridge were not built as per the depth design and the bridge caved in due to cavities in the piles.

In this backdrop, the anti-graft body also filed charge sheet against nine government employees of Divisional Road Office, Nepalgunj and Everest Engineering Consultant Krishna Dev Yadav. It said that government employees involved in the project during construction period colluded with the builder.