Special Court Convicts Five in Hanshpur Municipality Road Construction Corruption Case

Kathmandu. The Special Court has convicted five individuals, including the then Chief Administrative Officer, Accountant, and Engineer, for corruption during road construction in Hanshpur Municipality, Dhanusha. The court, however, acquitted four others, including Deputy Mayor Renu Devi Jha, who were also accused in the same case.

The verdict was delivered by a bench comprising Special Court Chairman Sudarshan Dev Bhatta and members Hemanta Rawal and Dilliratna Shrestha. The court found Engineer Dinesh Kumar Mandal and Sub-Engineer Binod Mandal guilty of submitting false reports and sentenced each to three months in jail and a fine of NPR 10,000.  

Furthermore, Chief Administrative Officer Ram Lochan Mandal, Accountant Netra Lungeli, and Contractor (Proprietor of Dev Construction) Shubhachandra Mandal were each sentenced to four months in prison. The court ordered that the excess payment amount of NPR 781,818 be recovered proportionally from these three individuals (Ram Lochan, Netra, and Shubhachandra). Additionally, they must pay an extra 4% of the fine amount as compensation fee as per the Crime Victims Protection Act.

The court acquitted Deputy Mayor Renu Devi Jha, then Chief Administrative Officer Keshav Kumar Adhikari, Administration Branch Chief Gyan Kumar Jha, and Kharidar Shatrughna Shah in the same case. The court determined that there was no objective evidence proving malice on their part.

The verdict stated that the deadline extension was granted without ensuring the validity of the performance guarantee even after the contract's expiry date, and that the state suffered a loss due to excess payment beyond what was recorded in the measurement book.

An agreement was made between the municipality and Dev Construction on Ashar 17, 2077 BS, for the construction of PCC paving on the road from Suga Nikas to Katti in Hanshpur Municipality.  

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) had filed the case alleging that an excess payment of NPR 781,818 was made based on a measurement evaluation exceeding the actual work done on the project.