Himal Press 
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KATHMANDU: The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has filed a corruption case against 32 individuals, including eight foreign nationals, charging them with irregularities in the procurement of two Airbus A330 aircraft for Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC).
CAAN Joint Spokesperson Yagya Raj Regmi said the anti-graft body filed the charge sheet at 3 pm on Thursday. “CAAN has filed a charge sheet against the accused on Thursday. We have sought to recover Rs 1.47 billion from them,” Regmi said.
Former tourism minister Jeevan Bahadur Shahi, former general manager of NAC Sugar Ratna Kansakar, former tourism secretary Shankar Adhikari, former joint secretary Buddhi Sagar Lamichhane, and former chief of Department of Customs Shishir Dhugana are among the 32 individuals charged by CAAN.
CIAA has accused these officials of reducing the maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of the aircraft from 242 tons to 230 tons but making payments for 242 tons in collusion with representatives of the aircraft supplier company.
The board of directors of NAC approved a plan to procure two wide-body jets on September 25, 2016. NAC took a loan of Rs 25 billion to finance the procurement of two jets from the Employees Provident Fund and Citizen Investment Trust.
The 32 individuals charge-sheeted are:
1. Jeevan Bahadur Shahi – former tourism minister
2. Sugat Ratna Kansakar – former NAC general manager
3. Shankar Adhikari – former tourism secretary
4. Buddhi Sagar Lamichhane – former joint secretary, NAC board member
5. Shishir Dhungana – former NAC board member
6. Tek Nath Acharya – former board member
7. Nima Nuru Sherpa – former board member
8. Mukti Ram Pandey – former board member
9. Jeevan Prakash Sitaula – former NAC board member
10. Achyut Raj Pahadi – former board member
11. Ram Hari Sharma – former acting director of NAC
12. Janak Raj Kalakheti – former acting director
13. Prabhas Kumar Acharya – former deputy director
14. Ganesh Bahadur Chand – former director
15. Karna Bahadur Thapa – former acting director
16. Subas Rijal – former officiating director
17. Ramesh Bahadur Shah – former deputy general manager
18. Rabindra Kumar Sherchan – former officiating director
19. Rabindra Shrestha – former officiating director
20. Upendra Poudel – former officiating director
21. Shrawan Rijal – former deputy director
22. Paras Poudel – former officiating deputy director
23. Umesh Poudel – former officiating deputy director
24. Brihat Man Tuladhar – former officiating deputy director
25. Deepak Sharma – President, International Supply Chain, AAR Corp
26. Christian Nuehlen – Representative, German Aviation Capital-Germany/Singapore
27. Oleg Calistru – Finance Director, German Aviation Capital-Germany
28. John M Holmes – President and CEO, German Aviation Capital GMBM-Germany
29. Ana Topa – Managing Director, German Aviation Capital GMBM-Germany
30. Paulo Mirpuri – President, Hifly X Ireland Limited-Ireland
31. Gerald Thornton – Director, Hifly X Ireland Limited-Ireland
32. Markus Radbruch – Head of Aviation, Norton Rose Fulbright LLP-Germany
33. Ralf Springer – Senior Consultant, Norton Rose Fulbright LLP-Germany
