CIAA charges 6 BPKIHS officials, 2 suppliers with corruption

Published On: July 16, 2019 07:14 AM NPT By: Republica | @RepublicaNepal

KATHMANDU, July 16: The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) on Monday filed a case against six officials of the BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (BPKIHS) including its former vice-chancellor Bal Bhadra Prasad Das and two suppliers at the Special Court on charges of corruption.

Das and seven others have been accused of embezzling millions of rupees by awarding BPKIHS-related goods supply contracts to highest bidders.

The officials, according to the anti-graft body, had awarded the goods supply contracts to highest bidders by bending the rules and ignoring the tender specifications.

Those dragged to the court include former vice-chancellor Das, then director of the hospital division Arbinda Kumar Sinha, then registrar Nanda Kumar Thapa and registrar Tul Bahadur Shrestha. Other officials charged with corruption include accounts chief Dinesh Raj Dahal, deputy manager Amit Shreevastav and suppliers Chetan Agrawal and Umesh Agrawal.

An investigation by the anti-graft body shows Das caused losses worth Rs 40.08 million to the state, Sinha Rs 30.75 million, Thapa Rs 10.96 million and Shrestha caused losses worth Rs 560,000 to the state.

Likewise, accounts chief Dahal has been accused of embezzling Rs 20.34 million and deputy manager Shreevastav Rs 10.74 million. Bio-made Supplier’s proprietor Chetan has been accused of misappropriations worth Rs 10.13 million and Upakaran Supplier’s Umesh Agrawal has been accused of embezzling Rs 6.036 million.

The anti-graft body has demanded that the embezzled amounts be recovered from the accused.
Earlier this week, BPKIHS Vice-chancellor Raj Kumar Rauniyar was caught red-handed with a bribe amount of Rs 800,000 in his own chamber.

Rauniyar is said to have taken the amount from a building contractor and he had given the money to his nephew Dr Ram Hari Rauniyar for safekeeping. The CIAA had arrested Dr Ram Hari as well.
Since assuming the post around three years ago, Professor Rauniyar has made headlines several times for wrong reasons.