Nepal anti-graft body launches probe into China- built Pokhara airport

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) on Monday opened a formal inquiry into alleged corruption in the construction of Pokhara International Airport, a project built by a Chinese firm with a concessional loan from China Exim Bank. The airport was completed on January 2, 2023, at an estimated cost of $216 million.

The CIAA’s move followed a parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) sub-committee report that recommended a thorough probe. The PAC, led by Rajendra Lingden, alleged manipulation in cost estimates and substandard work that, it said, cost the state nearly NPR 10 billion (around Rs 600 crore).

The anti-graft body has listed 55 individuals for investigation, officials said, naming senior government officers and five former ministers. Of those five, four formerly held the tourism portfolio at different times and one served as finance minister.