Nepal: Case filed against ex-minister, Chinese company over corruption in China-funded airport

Nepals top graft body on Thursday filed a case against 14 individuals, including former finance minister Gyanendra Bahadur Karki and a Chinese company, over alleged tax waivers granted during the construction of the China-funded Pokhara International Airport.

Nepal's top graft body on Thursday filed a case against 14 individuals, including former finance minister Gyanendra Bahadur Karki and a Chinese company, over alleged tax waivers granted during the construction of the China-funded Pokhara International Airport. The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) filed the case at the Special Court. Several other cases have been filed in the past for the misappropriation of billions of rupees in the project. According to Ganesh Bahadur Adhikari, assistant spokesperson for the CIAA, the charges relate to alleged tax exemptions granted to the Chinese contractor in violation of the original agreement during the airport construction. The CIAA has claimed a total alleged damage of Rs 3.62 billion in the corruption case, according to officials at the CIAA. Officials of the Chinese company China CAMC Engineering Co Ltd -- which constructed the airport -- and its representatives have also been named as defendants in the charge sheet. Those charged also include former secretaries Kewal Bhandari, Maheshwar Neupane and Suresh Acharya, serving secretary Danduraj Ghimire, and then director generals of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, Pradeep Adhikari and Sanjeev Gautam. The airport in central Nepal is considered a gateway to the famous Annapurna Circuit, popular amongst trekkers.