CIAA files cases against govt officials, businessmen

Kathmandu Aug 31-The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of the Authority (CIAA) filed 10 separate corruption cases at the Special Court against 28 persons including senior government officials on Tuesday.
Completing its investigation into the report of the judicial Investigation on Property Commission, the CIAA filed charge-sheets against former joint secretary at the Finance Ministry, Sabitri Raj Bhandari, Former Myagdi CDO, Gyan Chandra Bhattrai, and officer at the Survey Department in Chabahil, Bam Dev Adhikari, for financial irregularities.
The anti-graft watchdog has demanded the court to recover over 50 million from the accused and seizure of the illegally earned property.
Cases were filed against 22 persons including some defaulters and managing director of the Maharajgunj branch of Agricultural Development Bank (ADB), Karan Singh Bhandari. Among them, 12 persons are in judicial custody, the CIAA said. ADB Manager Bhandari and section officers Govinda Prasad Joshi and Min Bahadur GC and accountant Madhusudan Mahat were booked on corruption charges. They have been alleged of over-evaluation of the low quality collateral and creating a false business firm in papers while issuing loans amounting Rs 10.5 million.
Similarly, those accused borrowers are proprietor of Everest Bag Industry, Sumitra Shah, partners of Sijapati Printing Press, Suman Maharjan and Uma Maharjan, proprietor of the Sadikshya Handicraft Nabaraj Khatri, Dipak Sapkota of Sagar Hotel and Lodge and Prithvi Singh of Saileshwori handicrafts.
The commission has also accused the survey officers of the survey offices of Kalanki and Dillibazaar of involving in corruption by presenting fake survey report with malicious intentions. They are Habendra Prasad Dev, Ramhari Khatri, Dev Narayan Thakur, Umakanta Yadav, Yubraj Dhungana and Bidur Kumar Bhandari.