Clean chit to ex-NOC GM

Kathmandu, March 21-The Supreme Court on monday gave clean chit to former General Manager of the Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC), Madan Raj Sharma, and some former members of the corporation’s board of directors and businessmen.

Following a hearing on a nine-year-old corruption case, a division bench of Justices Anup Raj Sharma and Rajendra Prasad Koirala issued the clean chits to former member of the board of directors, Dilip Kumar Singh, Bishwo Nath Prasad Shah, Nilam KC, Rajendra Gupta, and businessmen Bishnu Prasad Bhetwal, Bhisma Bimali, Jagat Bahadur Karki, Lokmaya Karki and advocate Rama Prasad Singh.

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) had filed the corruption case against them accusing them of being involved in corruption while purchasing a peace of land for the NOC’s Jhapa branch. The CIAA accused them of amassing Rs 1.6 million.
The CIAA had appealed at the Supreme Court after the Patan Appellate Court issued clean chits to them seven years ago.

Mainwhile The Special Court on Monday sent former assistant manager of the Rastriya Banijya Bank in Doti, Kailash Prasad Shrestha, to jail for proceeding a corruption case against him.

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has accused him of amassing Rs 4.4 million. He allegedly withdrew thousands of rupees from customers' accounts. Government joint attorney Yuba Raj Subedi said he confessed his crime to the CIAA but while recording his statement in the Special Court he denied his involvement in corruption.