Kathmandu, June 20

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority today filed a chargesheet in Special Court against 13 individuals, including Department of Food Technology and Quality Control Director General Sanjeev Kumar Karna, for embezzling more than Rs 248 million.

Its investigation found that the individuals misappropriated Rs 248,095,116 while procuring four mobile laboratory vans for Prime Minister Agriculture Modernisation Project, in collusion with supplier Prudent Meditech International based in Kathmandu, stated the anti-graft body issuing a statement.

Besides Karna, defendants in the case are Senior Food Researcher Purna Chandra Wasti, Accountant Ravita Shrestha, Non-Gazetted First-Class Officer Gurudutt Gautam, Section Officer Bhagirath Acharya, Joint Secretary Ganesh Prasad Chalise, Accountant Balaram Pokhrel, the then project director Narahari Prasad Ghimire, Senior Agriculture Engineer Saroj Adhikari, Senior Project Officer Tilak Raj Chaulagain, Project Director Laxman Prasad Paudel, Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Officer Indra Hari Paudel and representative of supplier Prudent Meditech Pravin Kunwar.

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority has sought a fine of Rs 124 million each from Sanjeev Kumar, Purna Chandra, Ravita, Gurudutt, Ganesh Prasad and Balaram. The anti-graft body has also sought a fine from Rs 41.34 million each from Bhagirath, Indra Hari and Laxman Prasad.