KATHMANDU, MAY 4
The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority today filed a chargesheet at the Special Court against five persons, including the chief administrative officer of Chhayanath Rara Municipality, Mugu, for their alleged involvement in corruption on the pretext of carrying out development activities.
Those sued by the anti-graft body are CAO of Municipality Pitambar Saru, engineer Mahesh Singh Kathayat, assistant sub-engi-neer Hasta Bahadur Malla, and office-bearers of community users' group Ram Maya Malla and Ratnadevi Hamal.
According to a press release issued by the CIAA, they had colluded to embezzle Rs 2.97 million in the course of constructing stone steps along a trail in Ward 2 of the municipality through the users' group during the fiscal 2017-18.
The CIAA had launched a wide-ranging investigation into the case after it received a corruption complaint.
During the probe, it was found that the engineer and sub-engineer prepared a measurement book showing that more work had been accomplished than the actual work in the construction of stone steps, and that the CAO had approved the measurement book without confirming the quantity and quality of construction works.
Similarly, the office-bearers of the users' group had claimed that the payment for construction of stone steps was in line with the measurement book prepared by the engineer and sub-engineers, and approved by the CAO.
As per the anti-graft body, the CAO had sanctioned the payment even for the work they had never carried out.
They had also overvalued the work. CIAA Spokesperson Shyam Prasad Bhandari said the defendants had worked in collusion to embezzle state funds meant for development activities in the local level.
Each defendant has been charged under section 8 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2002, seeking maximum punishment under the law along with recovery of the amount in question from each.
A version of this article appears in the print on May 05, 2022, of The Himalayan Times
