Kathmandu — The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has decided to launch a separate investigation against former Minister for Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation Balram Adhikari, who has been accused of accepting bribes in connection with the Lichhibari land case in Kaski District.
According to an order issued by the Special Court under case number 074-CR-0167, the CIAA has resolved to proceed with an independent investigation by creating a separate file on Adhikari’s alleged involvement.
Two other former ministers — Raj Kumar Gupta and Ranjita Shrestha — have already been charged at the Special Court on Wednesday in connection with the same case. However, the CIAA stated that Adhikari’s case involves a different nature of offense and timeframe, which warrants a separate inquiry.
CIAA spokesperson Rajendra Kumar Paudel said that communication records between Adhikari and middleman Sujan Kumar Tamang indicate that the former minister allegedly accepted Rs. 3.2 million (approximately USD 24,000) in bribes.
In a related accusation, former secretary Arjun Prasad Pokharel is said to have received Rs. 500,000 in cash, liquor worth Rs. 10,000, and two chickens from the same intermediary, Paudel added.
“The incidents occurred at different times and under different decision-makers, so the CIAA will assign separate investigation officers and move forward accordingly,” Paudel explained.
He further noted, “The law allows the CIAA to divide a case into separate files for investigation purposes. We are acting in accordance with that legal provision.”
