Supreme Court to Hear Appeal in Widebody Aircraft Corruption Case Involving Former Minister

Kathmandu. The hearing for the corruption case related to the Widebody aircraft procurement has been scheduled at the Supreme Court. The hearing is set before a division bench comprising Supreme Court Justices Nahakul Subedi and Shrikant Paudel.

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) had filed an appeal in the Supreme Court against the decision of the Special Court, which acquitted former Tourism Minister and Nepali Congress leader Jeevan Bahadur Shahi and others, or imposed lighter sentences.

While former Nepal Airlines Corporation Chairman and Tourism Secretary Shankar Adhikari, NAC General Manager Sugatratna Kansakar, and board members Buddhisagar Lamichhane and Shishir Dhungana were convicted, former Tourism Minister Jeevan Kumar Shahi and others were acquitted. 

The CIAA appealed to the Supreme Court after the Special Court, in its verdict on the Widebody aircraft procurement case last year, convicted only 10 out of 32 individuals for corruption.

The CIAA had previously filed a case alleging corruption in the procurement of two widebody aircraft for Nepal Airlines Corporation, for which the Special Court delivered its verdict last year. 

The CIAA approached the Supreme Court because, although some defendants were convicted in that verdict, some, including Jeevan Bahadur Shahi, were acquitted, and the compensation and penalties sought were not fully imposed.

The CIAA claims that corruption amounting to 1 billion 47 crore 10 lakh 85 thousand 482 rupees and 85 paisa occurred in the widebody procurement. The Commission alleged that an overpayment of 67 lakh 88 thousand 109 US dollars and 60 cents (Nepali 74 crore 58 lakh 77 thousand 482 rupees) was made to the supplier with malicious intent.

Furthermore, the CIAA claims that although the agreement was for an aircraft with a capacity of 242 tons, the price for 242 tons was paid instead of reducing the price for the 230-ton aircraft that was delivered, causing a loss of 66 lakh US dollars (Nepali 72 crore 52 lakh 8 thousand rupees).

The CIAA asserts that although the Special Court convicted former General Manager Sugat Ratna Kansakar, former Secretary Shankar Prasad Adhikari, and others, not all defendants received the penalties sought by the Commission, nor was the full amount of compensation recovered.