CIAA files corruption charges against RSP Karnali official and others over community forest fund embezzlement

Kathmandu. The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed a corruption case in the Special Court against five individuals, including Hari Prasad Adhikari, the Karnali Province Joint General Secretary of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), for embezzling funds from a community forest users' committee.

In a press release issued on Thursday, the CIAA stated that the accused are charged with misappropriating over 1.2 million rupees from the Malika Community Forest Users' Committee located in Chaukune Rural Municipality-5, West Surkhet.

The committee's chairman Amar Bahadur Dani, treasurer Sabitra Adhikari, secretary Tejendra Bahadur Bayak Chhetri, and member Hari Prasad Adhikari are accused of colluding to misuse the funds.

The CIAA reported that the illegal misuse of funds occurred between the fiscal years 2070/71 and 2075/76.

'They spent funds without committee decisions or receipts, made payments for road construction without a work plan and using fake documents, and showed payments for audit fees without conducting any audits,' the CIAA stated. 'Furthermore, they failed to deposit timber sales revenue into the committee's account and embezzled large sums under the guise of nursery management, lawyer fees for forest cases, and witness expenses without evidence.'

Additionally, the CIAA noted that the committee chairman used the committee's money for personal purposes, including relocation and paying personal fines.

CIAA spokesperson Suresh Neupane stated that a charge sheet has been filed at the Special Court in Kathmandu against the five individuals for colluding to embezzle 1,218,512 rupees.

They allegedly showed expenses of 517,500 rupees under various headings without attaching any supporting documents or receipts to the file.

'Similarly, they misappropriated funds by showing a payment of 300,000 rupees to a lawyer from the committee's account regarding a forest case in which the committee officials were defendants,' the CIAA said. 'It also appears that 285,000 rupees of the consumer group's public property fund was spent in the name of legal and witness expenses.'

The committee chairman is also accused of taking 41,162 rupees for personal interests related to his stay in the district headquarters, Birendranagar. Furthermore, the CIAA reported that 51,485 rupees of committee funds were used to pay personal fines, and 23,365 rupees were paid for items like steel cupboards, stationery, and food/snacks without attaching legally required bills or evidence.