Kathmandu – The Abuse of Authority Investigation Commission has filed corruption cases against 1,520 people in 1 year. The Authority has filed a corruption case in a special court against the Minister/MP of the Provincial Government, the Chief Secretary of the Government of Nepal, the Secretary, the Head/Deputy Head of the local level, businessmen/intermediaries, and others in the accusation of abuse of public office, damage to government property and acquisition of illegal assets.

According to Narahari Ghimire, the spokesperson of the authority, about 8.5 billion 45 million rupees have been claimed from the defendants. Spokesman Ghimire said that during this period, the Authority filed 211 indictments in the special court.

According to the indictment filed by the Authority in the special court, among the defendants there are 100 people’s representatives, including provincial government ministers/MPs, heads of municipalities and rural villages, deputy heads, and ward presidents. Similarly, there are 181 government officials.

16 mayors, 11 deputy mayors, 7 village presidents, 8 vice presidents, 42 ward presidents, 7 members of the executive committee and 7 ward members of the municipality have been charged with corruption.

Similarly, the chief secretary of Nepal government, Baikunth Aryal and secretary Madhu Marasini, from high-ranking employees to the procurement level, have also become defendants in the corruption case. Out of the corruption cases filed, 40 people were arrested with bribes. Out of which there are 29 employees.

According to the records of the authority, during this period, 12 people of special category including the chief secretary, 25 people of the joint secretary level, 72 people of the deputy secretary level, 167 people of the branch officer level, 54 accountants, 144 people of the NASU level, 31 people of the procurement level and 2 office assistants and 520 national service employees has been filed against.

Some public representatives and employees who were made defendants have also been acquitted in a special court. However, most of the cases are currently pending in the special court.

After the suspension of both the head and deputy head of the same municipality on charges of damage to public property and illegal acquisition of wealth, political and administrative work has also been hindered since the last time the budget was brought.

According to the authority, the Mayor Ajay Prakash and Deputy Mayor Rita Devi of Rautahat’s Katharia Municipality have been suspended after a case of illegal damage was filed against them. Sarlahi Mayor Bharat Kumar Thapa and Deputy Mayor Leelakumari Moktan, Sarlahi District Coordination Committee Chief Methur Chaudhary, Sirha Navrajpur Rural Municipality Bishwamohan Prasad and Vice President Shobhakumari Yadav, Sirha Mayor Gajendra Maharjan and Lalitpur Godawari Municipality Deputy Mayor Muna Adhikari, Mahottari Jaleshwar Municipality Mayor Suresh Sah Sonar and Deputy Mayor Roshan Khatun, Chairman of Chankheli Rural Municipality of Humla, Dhanlal Chaulagai are currently under suspension after corruption cases.

In the case of corruption cases, most of them have been accused of abusing their public positions and making irregularities in purchases, abusing their positions and amassing illegal wealth. People’s representatives have become defendants in crimes such as exploitation of river products and selling them at low prices, damage to public property, irregularities in the construction of roads and other infrastructures, especially in local level corruption. Only a few weeks ago, a case was filed against Chief Secretary Baikunth Aryal in a special court on charges of corruption in the purchase of alcohol stickers. Aryal is under suspension with the filing of the case.