CIAA receives 166,520 bribery complaints, marking massive surge in five years

KATHMANDU, April 19: Corruption cases against politicians and public officials have risen significantly over the past five years, with complaints registered by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) surging to an exorbitant number during the period.

According to the CIAA, it registered 166,520 complaints over the five-year span. As of mid-February of fiscal year 2021/22, the anti-graft body had received a total of 12,496 complaints.

In the following years, the CIAA registered 24,331 complaints in FY 2021/22, 28,065 in FY 2022/23, 36,186 in FY 2023/24, and 37,026 in FY 2024/25. As of mid-April this year, a total of 28,416 complaints have been registered.

Under the Constitution of Nepal, the CIAA investigates misuse of authority by individuals holding public office. If the accused are found guilty, the commission files cases against them in the special court.

According to CIAA Spokesperson Suresh Neupane, the commission will proceed with cases based on the complaints received and conduct investigations in accordance with existing laws. He added that the commission has the authority to appeal for a review of the special court’s decisions.

Over the past five years, the CIAA has filed cases against defendants ranging from former prime ministers to local-level representatives. According to the commission, a total of 102 defendants in this category have faced allegations.

The CIAA grilled former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal in the Patanjali Yogpeeth land swap case; former Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Jeevan Bahadur Shahi in the wide-body aircraft purchase case; former Minister for Information and Technology Mohan Bahadur Basnet in the Teramax purchase case; and former Minister for Federal Affairs and General Administration Rajkumar Gupta in the litchi garden land bribery case.

Similarly, former Minister for Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation Ranjita Shrestha faced a case related to corruption in the construction of Pokhara International Airport. Former Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Bhim Prasad Acharya, Deepak Chand Amatya, and former Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat were defendants in the Pokhara International Airport construction irregularities case. The commission also filed a case against former Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara on charges of importing gold while evading customs duties.

Despite the surge in corruption complaints, the cases registered by the CIAA are seen as weak. Of the 166,520 complaints filed, the CIAA brought cases against 4,662 defendants before the Special Court, seeking to recover a total of Rs 31.52 billion from the accused.

Of the cases filed, only 55 individuals have been proven guilty. The CIAA has appealed for the review of 719 cases at the Supreme Court, of which nine have been finalized.

The 35th annual report of the CIAA shows that the largest number of bribery complaints came from Bagmati Province.