KATHMANDU, Dec 16: The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) has concluded its investigation into the Nepal Trust land lease case at Durbar Marg and submitted the report to the District Government Attorney’s Office in Kathmandu.
The investigation found that the then Secretary Arjun Karki and Joint Secretary Lekh Bahadur Karki gained financial benefits through an erroneous lease agreement with Thamserku Trekking. The CIB has recommended naming Thamserku Trekking Chairman Sonam Sherpa as a defendant alongside Arjun Karki and Lekh Bahadur Karki. Police have advised filing charges against all three for fraud, organized crime and criminal benefits.
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Former Secretary Arjun Karki and Joint Secretary Lekh Bahadur Karki, who signed the contract, have already been arrested. However, Sonam Sherpa is yet to be taken into custody. The CIB has advised the government attorney to claim compensation of Rs 6.34 billion from the defendants.
According to the report, former Secretary Karki had authorised Joint Secretary Lekh Bahadur to sign the contract, despite public procurement rules requiring contracts exceeding Rs 70 million to be signed by the department head. A CIB official said Lekh Bahadur was put under pressure to sign the agreement under threat of transfer.
The investigation also revealed irregularities in the lease including allocation of additional land plots not mentioned in the official notice. While the notice referred only to plot number 4606 at Durbar Marg, plot number 4605 was also added in the contract.
The lease was set for 30 years including a three-year construction period. Eight years have already passed. Police have recommended claiming Rs 3.93 billion for the remaining 22 years, Rs 1.06 billion for unauthorized additional floors in the building and Rs 20 million for the extra plot.
Originally, Thamserku Trekking had agreed to pay Rs 6 billion for the lease but later, citing financial constraints, a revised agreement was made for Rs 1.40 billion. The 2017 agreement specified construction of a three-storey building on the Durbar Marg plot; however, Thamserku has constructed a five-storey building.
