CIAA charges former Golbazar mayor and six others over market revenue

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed a corruption case at the Special Court in Kathmandu against seven people, including the former mayor and deputy mayor of Golbazar Municipality in Siraha, over the municipality's livestock, goat and Gudri market contracts. The charge sheet was filed on Tuesday, the commission said, as reported by Gorkhapatra, Annapurna Post and Nagarik.

The case concerns the fiscal years 2020/21 and 2021/22. The CIAA accuses municipal officials of giving the market contracts directly to one contractor without competition, of waiving Rs 2,734,913 in violation of the municipality's finance act and other laws, and of failing to collect revenue that should have been deposited in the municipal treasury, Annapurna Post reported. The investigation began with a complaint that the contracts had gone to a disputed person and that only half the revenue had been collected, CIAA spokesperson Suresh Neupane said.

Who is charged

The CIAA is claiming Rs 16,046,344 in the case against former mayor Devnath Sahu Teli, former deputy mayor Resham Kumari Thapa, former chief administrative officer Shridhar KC, former revenue section chief Dinesh Kumar Sahani and market contractor Birendra Kumar Yadav. It is claiming Rs 13,311,431 from former chief administrative officer Ananta Kumar Paudyal and former acting chief administrative officer Ram Narayan Mahato, who are accused of failing to collect that revenue.

The commission is seeking their punishment under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2002. Most outlets report seven defendants, as the charge sheet's names show; Onlinekhabar reported six. The accused have not been convicted, and the case will now be heard by the Special Court.