KATHMANDU, JULY 14
The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority has filed a charge sheet at the Special Court against nine persons for allegedly embezzling state funds during up-gradation work of Raj Stadium in Rabiraj Municipality, Saptari.
Those sued by the anti-graft body are erstwhile chairperson of Saptari District Sports Development Committee Ejet Nyasur, vice-chairperson Dhirendra Barma, its office heads Mahendra Prasad Yadav and Laxman Mandal, engineer of District Coordination Committee Bikash Shrestha, and construction entrepreneurs Udaya Shrestha and Bhimraj Yadav.
The DSDC had allocated a budget of Rs 1,327,430 for the up-gradation work in the fiscal 2016-17. However, a complaint was lodged with the CIAA stating that the office bearers of DSDC had embezzled the budget in collusion with its staffers, DCC engineer and construction entrepreneurs without carrying out construction work as per the cost estimates, and terms and conditions and specifications.
The complaint turned out to be true after the anti-graft body launched a thorough investigation. According to the CIAA, the work completion report approved and certified by the defendants is in accordance with the specification and standards, in addition to releasing the payment to construction entrepreneurs.
The DSDC had concluded a contract with Udaya Construction Service for the up-gradation of the stadium in the fiscal 2016-17. However, erstwhile DSDC chairperson Nuyasur had approved even those works which were not undertaken in compliance with the terms and conditions stated in the contract paper to release the amount.
Similarly, he had paid an advance of Rs 200,000 to erstwhile vice-chairperson Barma against the prevailing law. During the investigation, the amount was not found to have been used for any work in the stadium.
The DSDC heads Yadav and Mandal, and the DCC engineer upheld the construction completion report without further verification and field inspection. In a similar case of financial embezzlement, construction entrepreneur Yada of New Gahil Construction had breached a contract having a value of Rs 263,468 he entered into with the DSDC for up gradation of the same stadium in the fiscal 2017-18.
The CIAA has sought maximum punishment against them along with recovery of the amount in question as per the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2002.
A version of this article appears in the print on July 15, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
