Overview
- Nepal’s anti-graft watchdog filed charges in the Special Court against five former ministers, 10 ex-secretaries, senior aviation officials, China CAMC Engineering, chairman Wang Bo and regional general manager Liu Shengcheng.
- The CIAA alleges cost inflation and procurement manipulation at the China-financed project, calculating losses at roughly US$74 million and asking the court to order recovery of NPR 8.36 billion from each accused.
- The case follows a parliamentary Public Accounts Committee sub-panel report that flagged manipulated estimates, substandard work and questionable tax exemptions and recommended a full investigation.
- Pokhara International Airport was built with a concessional China Exim Bank loan, yet the facility has attracted virtually no scheduled international traffic beyond a weekly Pokhara–Lhasa service by Himalaya Airlines.
- Government studies cited design and navigational constraints, including a 2,500-metre runway and a high missed-approach climb gradient, which impose payload penalties that deter regular medium-haul operations.