Pokhara—Parliamentary Public Account Committee has approved the wide body aircraft probe report with amendment, recommending the legal action against Nepal Airlines Corporation General Manager Sugat Ratna Kansakar. Earlier, the sub-committee formed under PAC had submitted the probe report indicting incumbent Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister Rabindra Adhikari.
According to PAC, Kansakar played a key role in purchasing deal and showed bad intention as well as carried out corruption during the deal. So, PAC recommended his suspension and extreme punishment against him. The committee also recommended the legal action against tourism secretary Krishna Prasad Devkota and former tourism secretary Shankar Adhikari.
At the same time, the committee has said the minister Adhikari and former ministers Jivan Bahadur Shahi and Jitendra Narayan Dev should take moral responsibility of aircraft purchase deal. Earlier, the sub-committee has indicted minister Adhikari of presenting bad intention during the procurement process. Now the approved report sought the legal action against trios- incumbent and former ministers as well as the moral responsibility. The committee also removed the name of home secretary Prem Kumar Rai from the probe report and has given him a clean chit. The sub-committee headed by Rajan KC had prepared a probe report that shoes the anomalies of Rs 4.35 billion during the procurement of two wide body aircrafts.
Organizing a press meet today, minister Adhikari refused his involvement in any irregularities in wide body aircraft purchasing deal. He also accused sub-committee of taking probe report with prejudice and presume. He also claimed that the report came with bad intention and urged the Commission of Investigation for Abuse of Authority to probe the case impartially. ‘Culprit should not be escaped and innocent should not be defamed’, He said in press meet organized by his ministry. Minister Adhikari also claimed that the earlier paid Rs 9 billion would be collapsed if he had not forwarded last two installments of total Rs 25 billion deal. He also said that the rest dues were paid as the Supreme Court earlier had made route clear to buy and pay for aircraft though PAC had shown some issues.
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