Anti-Graft Body Files Corruption Case Against Suspended Mayor of Bagmati Municipality and 12 Others

Kathmandu. The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed a corruption case at the Special Court against the suspended Mayor of Bagmati Municipality in Sarlahi, Bharat Kumar Thapa, and 12 others.

The Commission filed the charge sheet on Wednesday, alleging that they caused financial loss to the state by illegally constructing fish ponds on the land of the Sagarmatha Forest Development Project in Sarlahi.

The CIAA has concluded that Bagmati Municipality illegally misused forest produce while constructing a 'Multipurpose Fish Pond' (Bharat Tal) in the forest area under the Sagarmatha Forest Development Project. The lawsuit filed by the Commission claims damages amounting to NPR 586,214,658.99.

The lawsuit names Mayor Thapa of Bagmati Municipality, Deputy Mayor Lila Kumari Muktan, then Chief Administrative Officer Bimal Kumar Pokharel, then Planning Branch Chief (Engineer) Sagar Paudel, and then Accounts Officer Bishwaraj Pokharel as defendants. Furthermore, officials and employees of the Sagarmatha Forest Development Project, who were responsible for protecting the forest land, have also been named as defendants. These include the project's then Chief Bishal Ghimire, then Acting Chiefs Debesmani Tripathi, Premilal Prasad Kalwar, Ram Kishor Yadav, and Jitendra Karmacharya. Cases have also been filed against then Assistant Forest Officers Chandrakumari Shrestha, Shivendra Prasad Chaudhary, and Bhola Yadav.

According to the CIAA investigation, the pond excavation work was carried out against the prevailing Forest Act and regulations in the forest area falling under Wards No. 4 and 12 of Bagmati Municipality. The charge sheet states that during this work, forest produce (stones, gravel, sand) was excavated without adhering to the Environmental Impact Assessment. The municipality is accused of revenue leakage by not paying royalties for the 4,700,285 cubic meters of forest produce extracted from the pond constructed across approximately 150 bighas of forest area.

The CIAA claims that when the municipality forcibly proceeded with the pond construction, claiming the forest area fell under its jurisdiction, the employees of the Sagarmatha Forest Development Project remained silent witnesses and colluded by not initiating legal action. The Commission stated that forest produce amounting to 73,893,508 cubic meters was excavated and distributed through sale, resulting in misappropriation due to the collusion between project employees and elected representatives.

The CIAA has demanded a penalty double the claimed amount of NPR 586,214,658 as compensation under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2059, along with imprisonment. Additional penalties have also been sought for the offense of revenue leakage.

The CIA had previously filed some cases against Thapa.