27 Accused in Corruption Case Over Forged Land Documents

Kathmandu. The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority has filed a corruption case against 27 people, including employees of the Land Revenue Office and intermediaries, in the Special Court on charges of forging documents to illegally register and sell private trust land in the former Sangla VDC of Kathmandu.

The investigation revealed that private trust land in plot numbers 149, 154, 155, and 157 in the former Sangla VDC-9 (now Tokha) was illegally registered as private land through collusion between land mafias and employees and registered in the names of individuals, leading to the filing of the case on Friday, according to a press release issued by Suresh Neupane, spokesperson for the Commission.

According to the Commission, the word 'private trust' which was clearly mentioned in the government records (Moth Sresta) was erased and the records were tampered with. The National Forensic Science Laboratory's examination confirmed that the word 'trust' was erased from the records.

The Commission's press release states that incorrect details were entered into the electronic records at the service desk of the Tokha Saraswati Land Revenue Office, stating 'private trust removed and amended,' to convert the land into private ownership.

It was found that by concealing the trust's facts and preparing forged documents, the land was transferred and resignation deeds were passed in the names of various individuals in the months of Ashar and Shrawan, 2075 BS.

The Commission has filed a case against the then office chief of the Tokha Saraswati Land Revenue Office, Subodh Kumar Khanal, then Nayab Subba Ramprasad Sharma Dhakal, computer operators Jayaram Khatri, Najoram Bhagat, and Januka Sapkota, then NaSu Krishna Prasad Pokharel, and then Kharidar Rudra Prasad Acharya. Similarly, a corruption case has also been filed against Surya Raj Pokharel, a former Kharidar at the Dillibazar Land Revenue Office.

Likewise, Suresh Pradhan, Shankarman Pradhan, Pipl Pradhan, Ram Pradhan, Kapil Bahadur Pradhan, Purushottam Pradhan, and Suresh Dhakal, who benefited as landowners and were involved in the forgery, have also been made defendants.

The Commission has made 12 more people defendants for the purpose of confiscating the land currently in the possession of those who illegally registered it as private land and re-registering it in the name of the trust. They are Ramhari Thapa, Rojani Mahat, Narayan Prasad Adhikari, Harka Narayan Shrestha, Raju Shrestha, TuiBhai Shrestha, Gita Sapkota, Vishnu Kala Shrestha, Saroj Bishural, Rajesh Shrestha, Sunita Shrestha, and Prem Kumari Rizal.

Neupane informed that the Commission has filed a charge sheet against them demanding imprisonment, fines, and recovery of the embezzled amount in accordance with various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2059 BS.