The accused charged with embezzling state fund worth Rs 1,055,000
KATHMANDU, JULY 11
The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority today filed a chargesheet at the Special Court against nine people, including former deputy mayor of Biratnagar Municipality, Morang, charging them with indulging in corruption while carrying out development activities.
Those booked by the CIAA include former deputy mayor of Biratnagar Indira Karki, Chief Administrative Officer Ekdev Adhikari, Chief of Urban Development Division Gopal Pokharel, Engineer Pushpak Pradhan, Sub-engineer Mohammad Iftekhar Alam, former chair of Ward No 15 Aslam Alam, User Committee Chairperson Baldev Sahu Sudi, Secretary Dinanath Acharya, and Treasurer Kalpana Ghimire.
The accused have been charged with embezzling state fund worth around Rs 1,055,000 while constructing a park around a local pond in Ward No 15 through the user group two years ago.
The CIAA launched an investigation into the case after it received a complaint. During the investigation, it found that the engineer and sub-engineer had prepared a measurement book falsely showing that more work was accomplished in readying the park than what actually was accomplished.
The investigation also revealed that the CAO had approved the measurement book without confirming the quantity or quality of construction work.
Office-bearers of the users' group had claimed the payment for construction work was in line with the measurement book prepared by the engineer and sub-engineers and approved by the CAO.
As per the CIAA, the CAO had sanctioned the payment even for work they had never carried out. They had also overvalued the work.
Karki had cleared the measurement book despite being aware of the irregularities. The user committee had used heavy equipment, including excavator, for the construction work which should have been done by engaging local labour. The existing law prohibits the use of heavy equipment for small development projects so as to create employment oppor-tunity for the locals.
The CIAA said defendants had worked in collusion with each other while embezzling state funds meant for development activities in the local level. They have been charged under Section 8 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2002, seeking maximum punishment under the law, along with the recovery of the amount in question from each of them.
A version of this article appears in the print on July 12, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
