The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority has filed a charge-sheet against four persons, including environment officer of Damak Municipality (Jhapa), at the Special Court for their alleged involvement in corruption by causing loss to the state in collusion with a contractor firm.
Those indicted by the anti-graft body yesterday are Gyanendra Choudhary, environment officer of Damak Municipality, sub-engineer Bibek Karki of Miklajung Rural Municipality (Morang); and Pashupati Uprety and his authorised representative Nisham Karki of Kishan and Drishti Builders Pvt Ltd. According to a press release issued by the CIAA, they had inflicted a loss of Rs 34.4 million on the state funds through a contact signed for extraction of river products from Mawa Khola situated at the boundary of Damak Municipality and Miklajung Rural Municipality.
The municipality and rural municipality had jointly awarded the contract to Kishan and Drishti Builders Pvt Ltd for the extraction of river products. However, environment officer Gyanendra and sub-engineer Bibek allowed the contractor firm to extracted river products unchecked due to money inducement. During investigation, the anti-graft body found that the contractor firm had extracted river products more than permissible quantity mentioned in the contract paper.
"Despite having information about irregularities in extraction of river products, Gyanendra and Bibek neither intervened in the situation or did they report to the authorities concerned about it," the CIAA said. The anti-graft body observed that Gyanendra and Bibek had escaped from their duties and responsibilities, thereby allowing the contractor firm to over-exploit the natural resources.
Similarly, Gyanendra and Bibek had submitted a falsified report to the municipality and rural municipality about quantity of river products extracted by the contractor firm. In the report, they mentioned quantity of river products less than extracted by the contractor firm in collusion. Due to their inaction, the government had suffered a loss of Rs 34.4 million in revenue.
In the charge-sheet, the CIAA has sought the recovery of the amount in question along with a fine equivalent thereto from Gyanendra and Bibek, in addition to jail sentence under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2002. Likewise, the contractor company has been accused of violating the terms and conditions stated in the contract paper with a mala fide intention to cause revenue loss. In this context, the CIAA has sought recovery of Rs 34.4 along with a fine equivalent thereto from Pashupati and Nisham.
