CIAA presses charges against 19, including Forest Officers for corruption

KATHMANDU: The shadows of corruption loom large as the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) takes a decisive step, filing a case against 19 individuals, including eight forest officers from Kapilvastu district, at the Special Court.

Allegations abound regarding their involvement in corrupt practices and unauthorized felling of trees, surpassing the limits stipulated by official permissions. The Gautam Buddha Collaborative Forest Management Committee stands accused of orchestrating the illicit deforestation.

Among the accused are notable figures such as former District Forest Officer Krishna Dutt Bhatta, Divisional Forest Officer Durga Bahadur Karki, Forest Management Committee Coordinator Mahendra Raj Wagle, Assistant Forest Officer Brahma Dev Mahatto, and Ranger Hemraj Pandit.

The CIAA's investigation reveals a grim reality, indicating a significant financial loss of Rs. 29,12,000 to the government due to these nefarious activities.

The list of individuals embroiled in the case extends to former Assistant Forest Officer Ganesh Kumar Tharu, Assistant Forest Officer Nagendra Prasad Singh, Foresters Ram Rakshya Kurmi and Ramtu Chaudhary, Forest Security Guards Sanjay Tharu, Sanjay Kewat, and Ram Gopal Tripathi, alongside former coordinator Janki Prasad Yadav, Ek Nath Ghimire (operator of Gorakh Furniture Industry), and Gita GC (operator of AR Furniture Purchase and Selling Center).