Corruption Skies: Nepali Officials and Chinese Firm Charged

An anti-graft panel in Nepal has charged 55 officials, including former ministers, and a Chinese firm with inflating the construction costs of a Chinese-funded airport by $74 million. The case highlights widespread corruption in Nepal, affecting projects like the Pokhara International Airport.

Nepal's anti-corruption authorities have charged 55 individuals, among them five ex-ministers, alongside a Chinese contracting company, with inflating the cost of the newly constructed Pokhara International Airport.

Officials revealed that the inflated costs reached over $74 million, spurred by illicit practices surrounding the Chinese-funded development. The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has called for these amounts to be retrieved through fines imposed on the defendants, including China CAMC Engineering Co Ltd, the project's chief builder.

Despite the airport's inauguration, international airlines remain wary of operating there. This scandal underscores Nepal's ongoing struggle with corruption, which remains prevalent as it balances relations with its powerful neighbors, China and India.

(With inputs from agencies.)