KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 7 The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) is preparing to register one of the largest corruption cases in Nepal's aviation history, involving alleged irregularities in the construction of the Pokhara International Airport. The charge sheet-now under final review at the Special Court-names 55 individuals, including five former ministers, 10 former secretaries, and senior officials of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN). According to the CIAA, former ministers Ram Sharan Mahat, Bhim Acharya, Ram Kumar Shrestha, Dipak Amatya and the late Post Bahadur Bogati have been charged as defendants. Suspended CAAN Director General Pradeep Adhikari and former director Murari Bhandari, both already in custody for a separate helipad corruption case, have also been named. The CIAA has filed the case seeking Rs 8.36 billion in recovery, based on alleged systematic irregularities, from contract award to construction oversight, during the airport project. The Chinese contractor China CAMC Engineering has also been listed as a defendant. The firm was selected under a restricted bidding process tied to China Exim Bank's loan agreement signed in 2016, which financed the airport as a turnkey project worth USD 216 million. Among those charged are former secretaries Sushil Ghimire, Madhukar Marasini, Suman Prasad Sharma, Surya Prasad Acharya, Suresh Man Shrestha, Bhesh Raj Sharma and several joint secretaries. Multiple CAAN board members and project officials, including Madan Kharel, Mukti Narayan Paudel, Jyoti Adhikari, Manoj Karki and Phurwa Chhiring Sherpa, have also been named. The corruption case follows the findings of a parliamentary subcommittee under the Public Accounts Committee, which in 2082 BS concluded that more than Rs 10 billion in irregularities occurred. The report cited inflated project costs, breach of contract, misuse of tax exemptions, discrepancies in runway construction and irregular payments in consulting services and fuel storage facilities. The CIAA initiated a detailed probe after the parliamentary directive and is now moving to formally register the corruption case at the Special Court. Pokhara International Airport, touted as a national pride project, was completed in 2022 after construction began in 2016, nearly eight years after feasibility studies commenced in 2008.