CIAA files case against 55 over Pokhara Airport corruption

KATHMANDU: The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed a case against 55 individuals and a company over alleged corruption in the construction of Pokhara International Airport.

According to the CIAA, corruption worth NRs 836.73 crore occurred during the airport’s construction.

Former ministers Ram Sharan Mahat, Bhim Acharya, Ram Kumar Shrestha, Dipak Amatya, and Post Bahadur Bogati have been named as defendants.

Several secretaries—Madhu Marasini, Sushil Ghimire, Sureshman Shrestha, Suman Prasad Sharma, and Bheshraj Sharma—along with undersecretaries Ranjan Krishna Aryal, Mohan Krishna Sapkota, Lok Bahadur Khatri, and Suresh Acharya, have also been included in the case.

Members of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) and the Airport’s Board of Directors, including Manrup Shahi, Jyoti Adhikari, Manoj Karki, Furba Chiring Sherpa, Madan Kharel, Muktinarayan Paudel, and Surya Prasad Acharya, have been listed as defendants.

Additionally, suspended CAAN Director General Pradeep Adhikari and former Director Murari Bhandari have been named for irregularities in the Nilinchok Helipad project.

The Pokhara International Airport, a national pride project funded through Chinese loans, was studied from 2008 (2065 BS) and completed in 2023 (2079 BS).

The Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives had directed the CIAA to investigate in April 2025 (2082 BS), after which a detailed inquiry was conducted.

The CIAA has submitted the case to the Special Court, citing irregularities in the airport’s procurement process.