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Nepal Files Graft Case Against 55 in China-Funded Pokhara Airport Project

The CIAA alleges NRs 8.36 billion was misused in a project built with a China Exim Bank loan.

Overview

  • Prosecutors lodged the case at Nepal’s Special Court, naming five former ministers, ten ex-secretaries, and senior aviation officials.
  • China CAMC Engineering, the airport’s builder, is charged along with its chairman Wang Bo and regional general manager Liu Shengcheng.
  • Investigators estimate losses of about NRs 8.36 billion tied to inflated cost estimates and irregular procurement.
  • CAAN Director General Pradip Adhikari was detained this week in a separate aviation inquiry and is among those charged in the airport case.
  • The $216 million airport, completed in January 2023 with China Exim Bank financing, has attracted almost no scheduled international service as a government review flagged runway and design limits.