KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 3
The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority has filed chargesheet at the Special Court against three persons, including former chief administrative office of Likhupike Rural Municipality and the chair of Ward No 2, for financial irregularities.
Those booked by the anti-graft body are former CAO Rajendra Bhandari of the rural municipality, chair of Ward No 2 Ramesh Kumar Basnet and accountant Jiban Subedi. According to the CIAA, they had embezzled Rs 600,000 on the pretext of purchasing land for construction of an office building for Ward No 2.
Ward chair Basnet had claimed the payment of Rs 600,000 for the purchase of land despite getting the land in donation from a local resident. Even though the land required for the office building was received in donation, the ward chair had submitted a fake bill to Bhandari.
"Bhandari released the payment despite knowing that the land was donated by a local resident to Ward No 2. He directed accountant Subedi to provide the payment of Rs 600,000 to the ward chair Basnet," read a press release issued by the CIAA.
They had embezzled the amount in collusion with each other to serve their personal interest by causing a loss to the state fund. The defendants have been charged under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2002, seeking maximum punishment against them.
If convicted, they will be liable to refund the amount in question along with a fine equivalent thereto and jail sentence.
A version of this article appears in the print on September 04, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
