Corruption Case Filed Against Rastriya Swatantra Party Karnali Deputy General Secretary and Four Others

Chaitra 20, Surkhet – A corruption case has been filed against Hari Prasad Adhikari, Deputy General Secretary of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Karnali Province Committee, along with four others. The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) lodged the case in the Special Court on charges of embezzling funds from the Malika Community Forest User Committee.

The CIAA announced on Thursday via a press release that over NPR 1.2 million was misappropriated from the Malika Community Forest User Committee located in Chaukune Rural Municipality–5, West Surkhet. The commission stated that the User Committee’s Chairperson Amar Bahadur Dani, Treasurer Savitra Adhikari, Secretary Tejendra Bahadur Bayak Kshetri, and member Hari Prasad Adhikari colluded to misuse funds.

The investigation revealed illegal financial irregularities spanning from fiscal years 2070/71 to 2075/76. “They spent funds without committee approval or invoice verification, processed payments for road construction without any approved plan and fabricated documents, and paid audit fees without conducting proper audits,” the CIAA’s statement detailed.

Additionally, the commission found that proceeds from timber sales were not deposited into the committee’s account. Large sums were embezzled without documentation under the pretexts of nursery management, legal fees for forest-related cases, and witness expenses. The public fund of the user group was used to cover case and witness expenditures amounting to NPR 285,000. It was also alleged that the forest group president personally misappropriated NPR 41,162 purportedly for relocation to Birendranagar for personal gain.

Based on the collusion among the five committee members, an embezzlement totaling NPR 1,218,512 was confirmed. Consequently, the CIAA has registered charges against them in the Special Court in Kathmandu.