KATHMANDU – The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed cases against seven individuals, including the Madhes province government’s then Minister for Economic Affairs and Planning, Bijaya Kumar Yadav, on corruption charge. The anti-corruption body has charged them of corruption in the snake breeding programme of the Jhalanath Khanal Health Sciences Academy.
CIAA stated that through investigations it found that corruption was committed by the accused in the budget the province government has made available with the objective of collecting, processing and producing snake venom working together with the Academy at Lalbandi of Sarlahi.
The federal government had provided the budget for this programme as matching grant through the Madhes province government’s budget statement for fiscal year 2076/77 BS.
The Commission has sought collecting Rs 179 million 833 thousand from and imprisonment against Yadav and Lalbandi Mayor Khadka.
Similarly, the CIAA has sought realizing Rs 32.7 million from the then Secretary at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Planning, Prem Kumar Shrestha and Rs 179 million 833 thousand from the Academy chair Rewati Prasad Panta, general secretary Nawaraj Bhandari and member Debendra Raya and imprisonment against them.
