KATHMANDU, April 1: Bagmati Province Assembly member and Bibeksheel Nepali Dal leader Ramesh Paudyal has filed a corruption case against Minister for Health and Population Bhanubhakta Dhakal at the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority accusing him of embezzling millions of rupees in the procurement of coronavirus emergency prevention and treatment equipment.

In the complaint, Paudyal has accused Minister Dhakal of canceling the procurement tender announced three months ago and awarding the contract to the unregistered company (at Department of Commerce) and businessmen close to him overnight, purchasing the medical supplies at an exorbitantly high price – four times higher than the market price and asked the anti-graft body to launch a thorough investigation into the financial irregularities.

He has also accused the ministry of purchasing WHO-uncertified rapid testing kits worth Rs 70 million.

The government on March 29 procured PPEs and other medical supplies worth 1.25 billion necessary to combat the coronavirus. The contract was awarded to Omni Business Corporate.

But, the health ministry came under radar after a Nepali businessman in Guangzhou Nabin BK, also a central member of the NRNA, wrote an open letter to Minister Dhakal accusing him of embezzling more than 4,540,000 USD while purchasing N95 masks, per testing kit, Ir thermometer, protective goggles, disposable gowns and other medical supplies.

The Chemical and Medical Suppliers’ Association also claimed the purchased price was much higher than the market price and raised question on sources and quality of medical supplies.

However, Spokesperson at the Health Service Department has ruled out committing any financial irregularities as the materials were purchased at “a bit higher price since the goods are in short supply globally at the time of pandemic”.

KATHMANDU, Feb 12: Senior advocate Bal Krishna Neupane has moved the apex court demanding former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and Dr. Babu Ram Bhattarai be indicted in the Lalita Niwas land grab scam challenging the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA)’s decision.

In the writ petition, Neupane has demanded the CIAA implicate the former prime minister for their involvement in illegally transferring the land at Lalita Niwas, Baluwatar to the name of various private individuals.

The petition comes a week after the anti-graft body filed a corruption case at the Special Court against 175 individuals including Nepali Congress Deputy-Parliamentary Party leader Bijay Kumar Gachhadar and three former ministers, while exonerating the ex-PMs, Nepal Communist Party General Secretary Bishnu Paudel and ex-Supreme Court Justice Kumar Regmi.

The CIAA has said it did not charge-sheet Nepal and Bhattarai as policy decisions made by the cabinet do not fall under its jurisdiction.

KATHMANDU, Feb 11: The House of Representative meeting resumed on Tuesday after the main opposition party Nepali Congress ended its obstruction.

The opposition had been obstructing the House business protesting the CIAA’s decision to implicate its Deputy-Parliamentary Party leader Bijay Kumar Gachhadar in the notorious Lalita Niwas land grab scam while exonerating Nepal Communist Party General Secretary Bishnu Paudel and ex-Supreme Court Chief Justice Kumar Regmi.

The CIAA on Feb 5 filed a corruption case against 175 persons including Gachhadar at the Special Court accusing them of illegally registering the state land to the name of various individuals.

Stating that the CIAA registered the case against Gachhadar

“The CIAA’s decision to implicate Gachhadar was politically motivated and was an act of political vengeance,” reiterated Pushpa Bhusal.

The government claiming that the CIAA’s move was one of its great achievements, has proved that the constitutional body is the government’s shadow.

She drew the attention of the legislature toward the CIAA’s move and said the opposition is closely watching the commission.

“The NC will continue the nation-wide protest against the CIAA’s decision,” she added.

Earlier, a meeting of the NC Parliamentary Party had decided not to obstruct the House meeting.

KATHMANDU, Feb 7: The main opposition party Nepali Congress sister wings Nepal Tarun Dal and Nepal Student Union has staged a demonstration at Maitighar Mandala protesting the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) decision to indict their leader and party Deputy-Parliamentary Party leader Bijay Kumar Gachhadar in the Lalita Niwas land grab scam while giving amnesty to the “accused”.

The CIAA on Wednesday filed a charge-sheet against 175 individuals including Gachhadar and three former ministers accusing at the special court accusing them of involvement in transferring the land at Lalita Niwas in Baluwatar illegally to the name of various individuals. Currently, about 65 different individuals own the land there.

However, Bishnu Paudel, whose son owns eight annas of land and former Supreme Court Justice Kumar Regmi who owns two plots at Lalita Niwas were given amnesty. Former Prime Ministers Madhav Kumar Nepal and Dr. Babu Ram Bhattarai were also not implicated as the cabinet decisions, according to the CIAA, do not fall under their jurisdiction.

The NC has said the CIAA’s investigation is “heavily influenced by the government” and the graft case against Gachhadar is “an act of political vengeance”. 

Protesting the CIAA’s “biased” decision, the NC obstructed the House of Representatives on Thursday and Friday as well.

Photos: Mukunda Kalikote/Reporters’ Club Nepal

KATHMANDU, Feb 7: The main opposition party Nepali Congress has obstructed the House of Representatives meeting Friday as well, protesting the CIAA decision not to file corruption case against former Prime Ministers Madhav Kumar Nepal and Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, Nepal Communist Party General Secretary Bishnu Paudel and former Supreme Court justice Kumar Regmi in the Lalita Niwas land grab scam.

The CIAA on Wednesday filed a charge-sheet against 175 individuals including Nepali Congress Deputy-Parliamentary Leader Bijay Kumar Gachhadar and three former ministers accusing them of illegally transferring the land at Lalita Niwas to the name of various individuals but did not charge sheet Nepal, Bhattarai, Paudel and Regmi.

The anti-graft body has stated it gave amnesty to Paudel and Regmi since Paudel’s son Navin and Regmi had promised to return the land to the government, while Nepal and Bhattarai were not charged as the cabinet decisions do not fall under their jurisdiction.

“The CIAA itself has misused the authority. How can CIAA not file a case against prime minister whose cabinet made the decision but indict a minister over the same case?,” said Min Bahadur Bishwakarma.

“How can the CIAA conclude Paudel and Regmi innocent just because they promised to return the land?”

“The CIAA’s decision to implicate Gachhadar is heavily influenced by the government,” he reiterated.

As soon as Bishwakarma completed his statement, the NC lawmaker stood from their seats. Despite Speaker’s frequent request to the lawmaker to sit down and allow House business, the kept standing forcing Speaker Sapkota to halt the meeting for half an hour.

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.

KATHMANDU, Sept 4: The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has summoned several people over the Lalita Niwas land grab case. CIAA issued a notification to this effect and has given a time period of seven days.

Several private citizens have been found to have benefited land for private use, the land that belonged to the government was given at throwaway prices and several people at the Land Revenue Office in Dillibazar are said to be hand in glove in this case. This case had been a topic for national discussion. Further investigations will reveal more in the days ahead. An estimated 37.6 acres of land were transferred to several private citizens in this case.

The following are the list of people called by the CIAA in their name list,

Kalpana Tuladhar

Sharmila Shakya Bajracharya

Pragati Kansakar

Kamana Gurung

Sajjan Kumar Chachan

Devanshi Goyal

Manoj Kumar Kedia

Manti Gorkhali

Nikita Tuladhar

Amitabh Tuladhar

Uma Prasain

Yurisobha Tuladhar

Renuka Bajracharya

Suvista Tuladhar

Anjana Tuladhar Tamrakar

Chadrika Kansakar Tuladhar

Sanochori Bajracharya

Sipika Khaitan

Susma Bajracharya Shakya

Sandhya Shakya

Sangita Rakhecha Kathori Bothra

Nutan Shrestha

Dharma Sobha Shakya

Dimpal Bangshal

Sarita Manandhar Shrestha

Geeta Gautam

Nitu Gurung

Rita Ojha Gautam

Ratna Hira Bajracharya

Pratima Baidhya Pradhan

Praveen Tamrakar

Bijay Tamrakar

Maya Sherpa Gauchan

Maheshraja Tuladhar

Dwarikadevi Shrestha

Indu Sharma

Bhawani Joshi

Bharati Pande

Bibek Kumar Subedi

Keshav Tuladhar

Anitadevi Kansakar

Om Birman Tamrakar

Anilman Tamrakar

Govinda Lal Shanghai

Gayatri Shreshtha Kansakar

Radha Sigdel Acharya

Rupesh Kumar Subedi

Pahalman Gurung

Purshottam Paudel

Pramod Sherchan

Kanak Herbal

Accyutraj Shrestha

Bijendra Joshi

Ramnath Ghimire

Purshottam Paudel

Prem Hari Dhakal

Saraswati Kumari Shrestha

Manoj Kumar Gautam

BHAKTAPUR, Dec 14: A team of Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has arrested a Nayab Subba (non-gazetted second class officer) with the District Land Revenue Office red-handed from the office while he was taking bribe this afternoon at the basement of the office building this afternoon.

Devraj Kafle was arrested while he was accepting kickback Rs 100,000. He had asked for the bribe from service seekers to transfer the land located at Nangkhel, Suryabinayek municipality in their name.

The CIAA team has been carrying out further investigation into the case. RSS

ITAHARI, Nov 23: The office of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has seized all documents held by the Itahari sub-metropolis related to procurement of CFL bulb sets acting on a complaint of corruption of over Rs 6 million in the deal.

The Procurement Section of the Sub-Metropolis had purchased CFL bulbs and its sets worth Rs 9.7 million during the period from mid-July to 24 October 2017.

The anti-graft body took the action being based on a complaint that the sub-metropolis was involved in the corruption of millions of rupees in collaboration with traders while purchasing CFL bulbs and sets.

It came to light that no bidding process was followed in the procurement of the bulbs and sets.

CIAA has started investigation into the corruption scam that occurred immediately after the newly-elected people’s representatives were in place.

It is shared that the elected people’s representatives, office-bearers of Chamber of Commerce and employees of the sub-metropolis were also involved in the CFL bulb procurement scam.

KATHMANDU, July 16: Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has registered a corruption case against suspended Director General of Inland Revenue Department, Chudamani Sharma and two other officials of Tax Settlement Commission (TSC) on Sunday.

The other two are Lumba Dhwoj Mahat, the chairman of the Tax Settlement Commission and Umesh Dhakal, a member of the commission.

The anti-corruption body has claimed that the trio embezzled more than 10 billion from the state treasury and asked for 10 years jail terms for the trio.

Sharma, who was also the member secretary of the commission, was arrested on June 2 on charge of swindling the state fund. Mahat and Dhakal are absconding.