CIAA charges Dammar Bahadur Budhathoki for bribery
Budhathoki, a resident of Kohalpur Municipality, Banke district, was previously presented as a government witness in court.
KATHMANDU: The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed a charge sheet against Dammar Bahadur Budhathoki in the Special Court, Kathmandu, accusing him of giving a bribe.
Budhathoki, a resident of Kohalpur Municipality, Banke district, was previously presented as a government witness in court.
However, after a complaint was filed alleging that his testimony in the Special Court contradicted his earlier statement to the investigation officer, further investigation was conducted.
According to evidence gathered during the investigation, Budhathoki had given a cash bribe of Rs 20,000 to accused Shanti Pun (a middleman), Purchaser Ratan Bahadur G.C., Harichandra Pandey, and Ghanshyam Tiwari to facilitate land consolidation work.
The ACC stated that Budhathoki has been charged under Section 3(1) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2059, and its amended provisions, seeking imprisonment, a fine of Rs 20,000, and confiscation of the bribe amount.
Earlier, a case was registered in the Special Court, Kathmandu, against Purchaser Ratan Bahadur G.C. and others under case number 081-CR-0126 for accepting bribes and corruption. Budhathoki had appeared as a government witness in that case.
ACC spokesperson Rajendra Kumar Paudel said the charge sheet was filed after a thorough investigation and collection of sufficient evidence, given the seriousness of the complaint.
