KATHMANDU: The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority on Sunday filed a corruption case at the Special Court indicting six officials of the Nalsing Gad Hydropower Development Committee.

The anti-corruption constitutional body said the accused were involved in the embezzlement of Rs 272.45 million in selecting a company as a consultant for the feasibility study of the project.

Issuing a press statement, the Commission said the Committee selected the SMEC International Pvt Ltd-Australia JV with MWH International, Inc, USA in association with Udaya Consultancy (P) Ltd, Nepal (SMEC-MWH-Uday) by giving 1.25 more marks than the company's score though it had proposed higher cost for the study.

For the same, the Committee gave 1.567 less marks to the AF Consultant, Switzerland JV, Nepal Environment and Scientific Services Pvt Ltd Nepal and Hydro-Consult Engineering Ltd Nepal (AFC-HCE-NESS) than its actual score to deliberately keep it out of the bidding, the Commission stated.

The decision incurred a loss of Rs Rs 272.45 million to the state-run hydropower company, according to the Commission.

The defendants include Executive Director Moti Bahadur Kunwar, the then Senior Divisional Engineer Surya Prasad Rijal, the then Account Officer Ananda Prasad Chapagain, the then Senior Divisional Engineer at the Ministry of Energy Gokarna Raj Pantha, the then Legal Officer at the Department of Electricity Development Rajesh Kumar Thapa and the SMEC-MWH-Uday's Authorised Representative Udeep Lal Shrestha.

The Commission demanded Rs 136.22 million fine and one-year imprisonment for them in accordance with the Section 8(3) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2002.