KATHMANDU, May 7: The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed a corruption case against former minister Gyanendra Bahadur Karki and 13 others over alleged irregularities worth Rs 3.62 billion linked to customs tax exemptions granted during the construction of Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA).
The anti-graft body lodged the case at the Special Court of Nepal, claiming corruption took place through improper customs waivers provided for materials and equipment imported for the airport project.
In the original purchase agreement made with the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), the Chinese construction company agreed to pay taxes, duties and related fees within the construction cost. As per the agreement, the Chinese contractor was required to pay these charges as per the prevailing laws.
CIAA files corruption charges against 13 in a single day
The CIAA in its charge sheet has stated that an implementation agreement was prepared in collusion between civil servants and the construction company to provide tax exemptions to the Chinese company.
Alongside former finance minister Karki, the CIAA has named former tourism secretary Maheshwar Neupane, former finance secretary Shankar Prasad Adhikari, former joint secretaries Suresh Acharya and Dunduraaj Ghimire, former secretary Kewal Bhandari, former Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal Sanjiv Gautam, outgoing Director General Pradeep Adhikari, under-secretary Yubaraj Pandey, section officer Urmila Bhandari and engineer Yogesh Aryal among the accused.
The CIAA has sought punishment and recovery of the alleged embezzled amount from the defendants.
Earlier, the CIAA in December 2025 had filed a corruption case against 55 individuals, including five former ministers, over large-scale financial irregularities in the construction of the PRIA. The anti-graft body has sought a recovery of Rs 8.36 billion and maximum prison sentences against all the accused that included former ministers Ram Sharan Mahat, late Post Bahadur Bogati, Ram Kumar Shrestha, Bhim Prasad Acharya, and Deepak Chandra Amatya.
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