Himal Press 
POKHARA: The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed a charge sheet at the Special Court against former Director General of the Department of Revenue Investigation (DoRI), Jhalakram Adhikari, accusing him of corruption and money laundering for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 7 million.
According to the CIAA, Adhikari received the bribe in exchange for facilitating investigations related to revenue leakage and offences under the jurisdiction of the DoRI. The anti-graft body has alleged that Adhikari later used the money to purchase land and repay a loan for a resort.
The CIAA has also sought Rs 2 million in damages from Devendra KC, managing director and shareholder of The Kuti Resort Pvt Ltd, for his alleged involvement in the case. Rabindra Lamichhane, a resident of Nepalgunj Sub-metropolitan City–20, has also been named as an accomplice in the case.
The anti-graft body has claimed that Adhikari attempted to conceal and legitimize the bribe by using bank accounts held in the names of various individuals.
In the money laundering case filed against him, the CIAA has demanded confiscation of an amount equivalent to the alleged bribe. The charge sheet states that the offence falls under Clause 3(1)(b) and (g), as well as Clause 3(3), of the Asset (Money) Laundering Prevention Act, 2008. The CIAA has sought punishment against Adhikari under Section 30(1) of the Act and additional punishment under Section 30(7) as he is a government employee.
The anti-graft body has also demanded confiscation of property purchased with the illicit funds, including a plot of land measuring 164.14 square metres (Plot no. 998) located within the Divyashwari Project in Madhyapur Thimi Municipality-17, Bhaktapur. The land plot was bought for Rs 5 million. The CIAA has further sought the confiscation of Rs 2 million used to repay a loan.
Similarly, the CIAA has sought Rs 2 million in damages from Devendra KC along with punishment and confiscation of an equivalent amount invested in loan repayment. The commission has sought Rs 5 million in damages, punishment, and confiscation of the land purchased with that amount from Rabindra Lamichhane.
According to the case details, a complaint was filed with the DoRI against HK Enterprises for alleged revenue leakage. During the investigation, the CIAA found that the company’s promoter, Shree Krishna Shrestha, paid Rs 7 million in bribes to Adhikari to evade action in the case.
The money was deposited into bank accounts belonging to Devendra KC, Bikash Kumar Chapagain, and Rabindra Lamichhane. Of the amount transferred from Shrestha’s account, KC received Rs 2 million on July 20, 2022. Later that year, on October 13, Chapagain and Lamichhane received Rs 5 million. The funds were later used to purchase five aana of land in Bhaktapur and also to repay a loan for the Kuti Resort.
The CIAA said Adhikari had begun accepting bribes within a month of assuming office. He served at the DoRI from mid-June to mid-November 2022.
Adhikari, a joint secretary of the Government of Nepal, had been appointed director general through a special connection with the family of former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. A resident of Kaski, Adhikari had previously courted controversy while serving as the chief administrative officer of Pokhara Metropolitan City.
