KATHMANDU, Jan 7: Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee on Monday recommended the government and the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) to take action against Tourism Minister Rabindra Adhikari, two former ministers, Jiban Bahadur Shahi and Jitendra Narayan Dev among others for their alleged involvement in irregularities in the procurement of the wide-body aircraft by the Nepal Airlines.

However, the meeting of the PAC has given clean chit to Secretary Prem Kumar Rai even though it had earlier implicated him behind the aircraft scam.

The meeting also directed the government to immediately suspend NAC's Managing Director Sugat Ratna Kansakar, and NAC board members. 

A meeting of the PAC held at Singhadurbar made a decision to this effect today. The committee also endorsed a report submitted by the PAC subcommittee which had concluded that the incumbent civil aviation minister, former ministers, high-ranking officials and NAC office bearers were involved in irregularities in procurement of the wide-body aircraft.

On January 2, a sub-committee of parliament concluded that Rs 4.35 billion was embezzled in the purchase of wide-body aircraft by Nepal Airlines Corporation.

The other implicated by the committee were 29 high-level officials including two secretaries—Krishna Prasad Devkota, Shankar Prasad Adhikari, Managing Director of NAC Sugat Ratna Kansakar, and NAC board members. 

 
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