Graft watch: CIAA Secy Kafle to face the rap for corruption
With a parliamentary panel stepping up investigation against former commissioners of the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), officials of the anti graft body including Acting Chief Bhagwati Kumar Kafle have come under the scanner of the House committee for their alleged involvement in a land registration controversy. The State Affairs Committee has summoned Kafle and CIAA officials on Tuesday to seek clarification on directives issued by the CIAA to the local land revenue office last year to register 2.3 ropanies of land belonging to the UN Park in an individual’s name.
The decision follows the Supreme Court’s verdict of March 30 that concluded that then Acting Chief Commissioner Lalit Bahadur Limbu and Commissioner Bed Prasad Siwakoti abused their authority in a subjudice case on Jan. 1 last year. In a landmark verdict, the court has directed the State Affairs Committee to investigate the CIAA’s decision and take action against the two former commissioners.
Sources said senior serving officials including Secretary Kafle, Joint Attorney General Khadga Raj Poudel, Deputy Superintendent of Police Krishna Raj Neupane and Section Officer Govinda Prasad Adhikari were also involved.
The decision to transfer the 2.3 ropanies land to Purna Bahadur Tandukar was made in a single day, and the Supreme Court’s verdict said it was an example of “gross negligence” and “wrong intention.”
A new case over the UN park land is in the offing at the Supreme Court.
The State Affairs Committee is likely to form a subcommittee to investigate the scam. “The documents we studied so far shows that CIAA Secretary Kafle also has a hand in this controversial case,” a source at the House Committee said. “He will be suspended if he fails to explain why he endorsed the decision to hand over public land to an individual.”
On Sunday, Maoists demanded that Kafle be suspended. “The serving secretary was responsible for the wrong decision made by CIAA. We can appoint a new secretary and move forward with the investigation,” said Maoist lawmaker Sudarshan Baral.
Posted on: 2011-04-18 09:41
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