"We have found huge amount of arrears. Fiscal Year 2065/066 Report of Auditor General shows Rs 70 million withdrawn from our account during the Fifth National Games has been left as arrears," said Lama. "Such a huge amount is yet to be cleared," he added. [break]
Lama said that NSC would launch a campaign to clear all the arrears. "If it is not cleared in time, we will carry out an investigation and send the report to Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA)," said Lama.
Jeewan Ram Shrestha, a central committee member of CPN (UML) and the general secretary of Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC) recognized by the International Olympic Committee, was the member secretary at NSC during the Fifth National Games.
´Biased statement´
Meanwhile, Shrestha said that NSC´s current leadership has been busy defaming people related to NOC.
"Auditing is a technical system. Not only NSC, every government organization has arrears. There was around Rs 300 million arrears at the time I joined NSC. There could be more arrears in his (Lama´s) own tenure," said Shrestha. "Alienating only the arrears during the Fifth National Games from the rest and highlighting it now is just an attempt to defame me," he added.
Shrestha challenged Lama to prove that he was guilty of financial irregularities. "Biased statements mean nothing. They should investigate the documents I left at the NSC office,” said Shrestha.
"This could be his way of threatening people related to NOC and other national associations after his decision to dissolve NOC was criticized," he added.
Probe Committee starts investigations
Meanwhile, NSC Vice President Pitambar Timilsina informed that the probe committee formed to investigate irregularities within the NOC and other national associations has already started its works.
"We have already informed Youth and Sports Ministry about our probe committee and the ministry had already asked NOC to provide all the details of its activities and financial transactions," said Timilsina in a press conference on Wednesday. "The probe committee will soon meet office bearers of all the national associations," he added.
Timilsina said that both the NOC bodies existing in the country are suspended but not dissolved. However, NSC had informed last week that its recent board meeting had forwarded a proposal to Council of Ministers to dissolve both the NOC bodies.
"It was a mistake and I now clarify that NOC bodies have been suspended," said Timalsina. "The office bearers in both the committees are suspended and we´ll investigate their activities now," he added.
NSC board meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, on July 8 had taken the latest decision about NOC.
Two different NOCs -- one led by Dhruba Bahadur Pradhan and another by Rukma Shamsher Rana -- have been claiming legitimacy. The Supreme Court had decided in November 2010 to recognize the NOC led by Rana. However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been reiterating that it only recognizes the NOC led by Pradhan.
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