Kathmandu, 22 March (H.S.):

Nepal’s Anti‑Corruption Commission (Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority) has filed a graft case against 21 government officials, including a former senior secretary, in connection with alleged corruption in the construction of the Pokhara International Airport. The case has been registered at the Special Court in Kathmandu on Sunday, 22 March 2026, naming the ex‑civil aviation secretary and other senior bureaucracy members along with two companies as accused.

According to an official statement issued by the commission, the accused include former secretary at Nepal’s Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Kedar Bahadur Adhikari, as well as former top officials of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal such as Sanjeev Gautam, Rajan Pokhrel and Pradeep Adhikari.

The Anti‑Corruption Body has also named two private companies among the respondents in the same case.

The commission has sought financial compensation of ₹46.1584 crore from the accused, claiming that large‑scale irregularities and corrupt practices were committed during the procurement of consultancy services for the Pokhara International Airport project.

Investigators allege that collusion between officials and contractors inflated costs and allowed improper approvals, causing significant loss to the public exchequer.

The Pokhara International Airport, a major infrastructure project in western Nepal, has been under scrutiny since its construction amid allegations of inflated invoices, mismanagement and irregularities in contract awarding. The latest case marks another step in the government’s broader crackdown on graft in high‑value Chinese‑funded and public‑sector projects, which has already seen several officials and corporate entities being charged in related airport‑related scandals.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar