KATHMANDU: The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed a corruption case at the Special Court against 14 individuals and two companies, including Dr. Milan Kumar Thapa, the current Member Secretary of the Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT).

The CIAA accuses the group of misusing public funds and causing financial loss to PADT, a public institution, in the procurement and installation of an electric crematorium.

The list of defendants includes former PADT Member Secretary and current Council Member Raju Kumar Khatri, and former Executive Director Dr. Ghanshyam Khatiwada.

The CIAA claims these officials manipulated the tender evaluation process by restricting fair competition, colluding for personal gain, and bypassing criteria related to prior experience and documentation.

According to the CIAA’s charge sheet, the collusion and irregularities in the crematorium procurement deal caused a financial loss of over Rs 103.3 million.

The anti-corruption body has demanded legal action against all the accused under the prevailing anti-corruption laws, seeking appropriate punishment for their alleged role in the embezzlement.