CIAA Charges 55 in Pokhara Airport Scam; CAAN Officials in Court Action

Kathmandu– The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed a major corruption case against 55 individuals, including former Tourism and Finance Ministers, over alleged irregularities in the construction of Pokhara Regional Airport.

The CIAA has named former Tourism and Civil Aviation Ministers, including the late Posta Bahadur Bogati, Ram Kumar Shrestha, Bhim Prasad Acharya, and Deepak Chandra Amatya, as key accused. According to the Commission, over NPR 8.36 billion was embezzled during the project.

Also named in the chargesheet are then Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat, former secretaries, and the former Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority—Triratna Maharjan, Ratish Chandra Lal Suman, and Pradeep Adhikari, the Commission’s Assistant Spokesperson Ganesh Bahadur Adhikari confirmed.

In a related development, the Special Court has ordered the detention of Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) Director General Pradeep Adhikari for pre-trial custody, while CAAN Director Murari Bhandari has been released on NPR 500,000 bail. The order was issued by a bench comprising Judges Hemant Rawal, Dilliratna Shrestha, and Bidur Koirala on Sunday.

The CIAA had filed a case on Mangsir 17 (Nov 30, 2025) against five individuals, including Adhikari and Bhandari, for alleged corruption amounting to NPR 135.746 million during the construction of the Nalinchok heliport. Both were under CIAA custody for investigation prior to the court’s order.

These actions mark a significant move to hold high-level officials accountable for financial misconduct in major infrastructure projects and highlight ongoing efforts to curb corruption in Nepal’s aviation and tourism sectors.