CIAA files corruption cases against 1,212 individuals in FY 2019/20

KATHMANDU: The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed a total 441 cases against 1,212 individuals on corruption charges in the Fiscal Year 2019/20.

According to the report submitted to the President on Thursday, the anti-graft constitutional body has made claims for realising two billion 536 million 698 thousand 268 from them. This amount is equivalent to the amount misappropriated by these individuals.

Those charge-sheeted by CIAA include three former ministers, nine special class civil servants, 355 officer level government employees, 440 assistant level and helpers, 70 elected and nominated officials and 335 middlemen.

CIAA spokesperson Taranath Adhikari said, of the cases filed during the period, 153 are cases in which the CIAA has made claims of the misappropriated amount being up to Rs 100 thousand. Similarly, more than Rs 10 million claims have been made as misappropriated amount in 29 cases.

Adhikari said the CIAA filed 18 cases on the charge of illegal income and claimed the misappropriated amount to be equivalent to one billion 96 million 194 thousand rupees in these cases.

The CIAA report states that the Special Court has decided 197 cases filed by the anti-graft body in Fiscal Year 2019/20. The CIAA has achieved success in total 84.8 per cent of the cases.

According to CIAA, based on the number of complaints 30.7 per cent of the cases are related to the local level under the federal affairs.

Similarly, 16.36 per cent of the cases are related to education, 8.29 per cent cases are related to land administration, 4.29 per cent of the cases are related forest and environment, 4.07 per cent are related to health and population, 3.65 per cent of the cases are related to the home administration, 3.59 per cent of the cases are related to physical infrastructure and transport, 2.67 per cent are related to energy and water resources, and 2.17 per cent of the cases are related to finance.

Likewise, 7.63 per cent of the total cases filed by CIAA in FY 2019/20 are related to fake educational qualification certificates, 6.37 per cent are related to amassing illegal property and 10.94 per cent of the cases are related to other bodies and sectors.

Province-wise, Province no 2 has the highest number of complaints related to corruption. As per the report, 23.87 per cent complaints are from this province followed by Bagmati (19.59 per cent), Lumbini province (10.79 per cent), Province no 1 (9.82 per cent), the Sudurpaschim province (8.44 per cent), Karnali province (5.82 per cent) and Gandaki province (5.35 per cent).