Nepal Anti-Graft Body Files Corruption Case Against School Officials

Kathmandu. The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed a case at the Special Court against the principal and accountant of Shree Himalaya Secondary School in Damak Municipality-2, Jhapa, accusing them of embezzling approximately 9.3 million rupees.

According to the commission, principal Om Prasad Upadhyay Acharya and accountant Dayasagar Acharya were charged on Tuesday after it was found that they had misappropriated government funds by creating fake bills and vouchers during the school building construction. The CIAA stated that they committed irregularities by receiving payments exceeding 5.9 million rupees more than the technical evaluation of the building construction.

Investigations have also revealed that the principal and accountant, in collusion, had embezzled cash reserves from the fiscal year 2077/78 onwards, apart from the building construction. The CIAA reported that they left an outstanding balance of 1.6 million rupees and used 1.7 million rupees of the school's cash for personal use.

The CIAA has claimed a total of 9.38 million rupees from both defendants. Spokesperson Suresh Neupane informed that the case seeks imprisonment and fines equivalent to the embezzled amount as per the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2059, to recover the misappropriated funds.