Wide Body Aircraft Corruption Scandal: CIAA files case against 32 officials

Kathmandu: The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed a case against 32 officials.

CIAA field case against 32 officials in case of corruption in the purchase of 2 wide-body aircraft. A charge sheet was filed at the Special Court against 32 officials including then-Minister of Tourism Jeevan Bahadur Shahi, Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) General Manager Sugat Ratna Kansakar, Former Tourism Secretary Shankar Adhikari.

CIAA claimed that there was a corruption of 1.47 billion rupees in the purchase of wide-body aircraft. Shahi is the leader of the Nepali Congress (NC) parliamentary party in Karnali.

CIAA said that Airbus 330-200 aircraft with Rolls Royce Trent 772B engines were purchased, resulting procurement process against the Public Procurement Act.

Likewise, NAC had raised questions upon agreement regarding not purchasing the wide-body aircraft directly from manufacturing companies, but rather purchasing through an intermediary company.

NAC selected a group consisting of AAR Corp of America, Germany’s German Aviation Capital, and Portugal’s HighFly Aeros for the purchases of 2 wide-body aircraft in January 2017( Poush, 2073).