KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 15
The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority today filed a charge-sheet against a person at the Special Court after he was allegedly found to have submitted fake academic certificates to join government service. According to the anti-graft body, Bishnu Rokaya, a sub-engineer working in Darma Rural Municipality, Salyan, had acquired and submitted fake academic credentials, which showed that he passed Diploma in Civil Engineering from Tansen-based Palpa Engineering College to join the government office in 2017.
Joint Secretary Shyam Prasad Bhandari, CIAA spokesperson, said a chargesheet was filed against him, seeking maximum punishment under sub-section (1) of section 16 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2002, which criminalises submission of fake certificates with the intention of securing government job.
If found guilty, Rokaya will be liable to a jail term of up to one year and a fine not exceeding Rs 25,000 besides dismissal from service.
The anti-graft body had warned that the tendency of submitting fake academic credentials, teaching licence and citizenship certificate for the purpose of joining government service, getting promotion and receiving government facilities continues unabated despite strict law.
The CIAA said the highest cases of fake academic certificates involved schoolteachers and police personnel. Similarly, health workers, technical employees such as engineers and sub-engineers, administrative employees of the local levels and other employees engaged in civil service are also among persons joining government service and enjoying promotion and other facilities by submitting fake documents.
Earlier, the anti-graft body had urged the authorities concerned to verify the authenticity of academic credentials submitted for appointment and promotion. The CIAA warned that appointing, promoting and providing facilities to any person on the basis of bogus or forged certificate of academic qualification and other documents had badly affected performance and service delivery in the offices.
KUKL plumber charged
KATHMANDU: The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority has booked Ganesh Bahadur Khulal, a senior plumber at Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited, at the Special Court for receiving Rs 5,000 in bribe from a service-seeker.
According to the CIAA, Khulal had demanded the bribe money from the service-seeker for connecting a water supply pipeline to the house. The service-seeker had alerted the CIAA official after Khulal refused to provide service without bribe. He has been charged under section 3 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2002.
A version of this article appears in the print on September 16, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.
