Special Court Grants Bail to Manoj Karki in Pokhara Airport Corruption Case

Kathmandu. The Special Court has ordered the release of Manoj Karki, a former board member of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), on bail in connection with the corruption case involving the construction of the Pokhara Regional International Airport.

On Sunday, a bench comprising Special Court judges Narayan Prasad Poudel, Hemant Rawal, and Dilliratna Shrestha ordered Karki to be released on a bail of 250,000 rupees. The court stated, 'Based on the defendant's official responsibilities and role, and pending further examination of evidence, he shall be released upon posting a cash bail of 250,000 rupees or a bank guarantee of an equivalent amount. If the bail is not posted, he shall be sent to prison.'

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) had filed a corruption case against Karki, alleging that he abused his position to collude with the Chinese company 'China CAMC Engineering' to artificially inflate the construction costs of the Pokhara airport. The CIAA claimed that the approved cost estimate of 169,697,000 USD was increased to 244,040,450 USD, causing an illegal loss of 74,343,450 USD (approximately 8.36 billion Nepali rupees) to the Government of Nepal and the Civil Aviation Authority.

During his statement in court, Karki maintained his innocence, arguing that the revision of the cost estimate was carried out in accordance with the decisions of the ministry and the Council of Ministers.

Although he claimed that he served on the board as a representative of the private aviation sector and did not act with malicious intent, the court ordered his release on bail based on the evidence currently available.