Lalita Niwas Land grab scam: CIAA files anti-graft case against Gachhadar, Ex-CIAA Chief Basnet

KATHMANDU, Feb 5: The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) on Wednesday has filed a case against over 100 government officials including Nepali Congress Vice-president and former Deputy Prime Minister Bijaya Kumar Gachhachhadar, former Chief Commissioner of the anti-graft body Deep Basnet, former ministers Dambar Shrestha, and Chandra Dev Joshi in connection with the Lalita Niwas land grab scam.

According to the CIAA sources, a team of CIAA officials has reached the special court to file an anti-graft case against them accusing them of illegally transferring the state land to private ownership.

Last week, The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) had submitted a probe report to the government recommending action against Basnet, former election commissioner Sudhir Kumar Shah, former minister Chhabiraj Panta, Bhatbhateni Supermarket proprietor Min Bahadur Gurung, Shobhakanta Dhakal, Ram Kumar Subedi, Rukma Shumsher Rana, Hemadri Rana and several government officials and middlemen for forgery and fraud.

The probe committee had also concluded that the policy decisions taken by the governments led by Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, Girija Prasad Koirala, Surya Bahadur Thapa, Madhav Kumar Nepal and Baburam Bhattarai had favored the land mafia.

Gachhadar was Physical Planning Minister under the Nepal-headed government while Banset was the secretary at his ministry.