Banking News – The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed a corruption case at the Special Court in Kathmandu against three individuals accused of misappropriating child protection allowance funds allocated to the former Bharatpur Village Development Committee (VDC) in Mahottari.

The charge sheet has been filed against Maheshwar Mahato Koiri, the then Secretary of the former Bharatpur VDC Office, Umakant Mahato, the then Office Assistant, and Suruj Sah, who was serving in the Internal Audit Section of the District Development Committee (DDC), Jaleshwar, Mahottari.

According to the CIAA, the District Development Committee, Mahottari, had released Rs. 307,200 to the former Bharatpur VDC during the FY 2011/12 (2068/69 BS) for the distribution of child protection allowances.

The anti-graft body alleged that the amount was not distributed to the intended child beneficiaries. Instead, the accused allegedly prepared fake payment receipts and used forged thumbprints to falsely show that the beneficiaries had received the allowance. Laboratory examinations reportedly confirmed that fraudulent documents had been created.

The CIAA stated that the accused caused a loss of Rs. 307,200 to the Government of Nepal by settling the advance payment using fabricated documents instead of distributing the allowance to eligible recipients.

The Commission has sought punishment against the accused under Sections 9 and 17 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2002 (2059 BS) through a charge sheet filed at the Special Court.