KATHMANDU, JANUARY 26
The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority has filed a corruption case against 18 persons, including Director General of the Department of Mines and Geology Ram Prasad Ghimire and directors of nine companies for their alleged involvement in corruption.
The anti-graft body sought to recoup Rs 1.24 billion each from Ram Prasad Ghimire and two other employees of the Department of Mines and Geology – Jayraj Ghimire and Sapana Adhikari.
The anti-graft body said that a three-member committee formed under Ram Prasad Ghimire on 28 May 2019 had concluded that the nine companies excavated more than the permitted amount of limestone and caused a revenue loss worth of Rs 1.26 billion.
The CIAA said the Department of Mines and Geology collected only Rs 1.8 million fines from the nine companies in accordance with the report submitted by the second committee formed under Jayraj Ghimire on 28 May 2020.
The CIAA alleged that Jayraj Ghimire and Sapana Adhikari offered false interpretation of law and decided to recoup a fine of only Rs 100,000 from the companies for two fiscal years, causing the government a revenue loss of Rs 1.24 billion.
The CIAA accused members of the second committee comprising Joint Attorney Chandra Kumar Pokharel, other employees Prashant Bohara, Dharmaraj Khadka, Shreebhadra Gautam, Basant Adhikari, and geologist Saunak Bhandari of corruption.
The CIAA said that these defendants also decided to collect only 100,000 from the companies, causing a revenue loss to the government.
The CIAA said nine companies - Sarbottam Cement Ltd, Siddharth Minerals Pvt Ltd, Maruti Cement Ltd, Annapurna Quarries Pvt Ltd, Udaypur Minerals Tech Pvt Ltd, United Cement Pvt Ltd, Sonapur Minerals and Oil Ltd, Kanchan Quarries Pvt Ltd, and Dolomite Limestone Industries Pvt Ltd - excavated more than the permitted number of limestones and caused a loss to the deposit of minerals.
It said the companies adversely impacted the environment.
The CIAA accused Siddhartha Minerals Ltd of causing a loss to the government to the tune of Rs 4.9 million. Maruti Cement Ltd has been accused of embezzling Rs 2 million. Other companies face the allegation of embezzling between Rs 10 million and 160 million.
Director of Sarbottam Cement Ltd Bishnu Prasad Neupane, Director of Siddharth Minerals Pvt Ltd Pashupati Murarka, Director of Maruti Cement Ltd Sarad Goyal, Director of Annapurna Quarries Pvt Ltd Rishi Agrawal, Director of Udaypur Minerals Tech Pvt Ltd Prabal Jung Pandey, Director of United Cement Pvt Ltd Naresh Dugar, Director of Sonapur Minerals and Oil Ltd Nipesh Tayal, Director of Kanchan Quarries Pvt Ltd Bhim Bahadur Thapa Chhetri, and Director of Dolomite Limestone Industries Pvt Ltd Man Bahadur Shrestha excavated more amount of limestones than they were permitted, causing a loss to the deposit of minerals and thereby adversely impacting the environment.
The govt suffered a revenue loss of Rs 1.24bn because of corrupt officers
A version of this article appears in the print on January 27, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
