KATHMANDU, Dec 25: The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) received a total of 19,488 corruption complaints against various public officials in fiscal year 2017/18. Of these complaints, 12,400 were settled, while 6,458 were put on hold after preliminary investigations, according to CIAA's 28th annual report. 

The report presented to President Bidya Devi Bhandari amidst a special function on Monday shows that the highest number of complaints were related to the education sector (18.32 percent) followed by federal affairs (18.02 percent) and land (6.48 percent).

Similarly, 4.48 percent of the complaints were related to forests, 4.37 percent to health sector, 4.13 percent to home administration, 2.82 percent to physical infrastructure and transport ministry, 2.59 percent to the finance ministry, and 38.8 percent to the remaining ministries. 

CIAA Chief Commissioner Nabin Kumar Ghimire presented the report to President Bhandari at Shital Niwas. According to a press statement issued by the anti-graft body, altogether 194 cases were taken to the Special Court in the last fiscal year. These include 97 cases of public officials receiving bribes from service seekers, 64 cases of forgery of academic certificates, 13 cases related to causing loss to public property,  and eight cases on seeking undue benefit. 

Similarly, five cases were related to revenue embezzlement, four to acquiring property illegally and three to other issues. 

The number of defendants in these cases is 426 and the CIAA has claimed a total amount of Rs 405.55 million from them.

According to the report, the CIAA arrested 154 government officials red-handed for receiving bribes and filed cases against them. The arrested officials ranged from assistant level employees to joint secretaries. 

The report shows that the Special Court issued verdicts on a total of 174 cases filed by the CIAA in 2017/18. Of them, 67.82 percent verdicts were in favor of the CIAA, while fresh appeals have been filed against 68 cases. 

The annual report also includes an analysis of investigation and work execution by the CIAA, various works carried out to discourage corruption, institutional reforms made in the Commission and trend of corruption and misuse of authority. Among other things, it also includes various recommendations made to the government to curb the growing instances of corruption. 

 
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