By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Dec. 25: Acting Chief Commissioner of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) Dr. Ganesh Raj Joshi Thursday presented the annual report of the CIAA to President Bidya Devi Bhandari.
He presented the report of the fiscal year 2019/20 to the President amidst a ceremony organised at the Rashtrapati Bhawan, Sheetal Niwas. The report was submitted to the Head of State as per the Article 294 of the Constitution.
Upon receiving the report, President Bhandari praised the role played by the anti-graft body in building a clean society and maintaining good governance.
President Bhandari said the people had good opinion towards the CIAA because of its latest actions against those involved in irregularities.
According to the report, the CIAA received a total of 25,152 corruption complaints against various public officials in the fiscal year 2019/20. Of these, 16,952 (67.5%) were settled, while 8,200 (32.5%) were put on hold after preliminary investigations.
The report shows that the highest number of complaints were related to the federal affairs (30.07 per cent) followed by education sector (16.36 per cent) and land (8.29 per cent).
Similarly, 4.21 per cent of the complaints were related to forests, 4.07 per cent to health sector, 3.65 per cent to home administration, 3.59 per cent to physical infrastructure and transport ministry, 2.67 per cent to water resource and irrigation, 2.17 per cent to the finance ministry, 7.63 per cent to fake academic document, 6.37 per cent to illegal property and 10.94 per cent to other matters.
According to the report, the highest number of cases of corruption were filed from Province -2 (23.87 per cent) followed by Bagmati Province (19.59 per cent) and Lumbini Province (10.79 per cent). Likewise, 9.85 per cent complaints were received from Province 1, 8.44 per cent from Sudurpaschim Province, 5.82 per cent from Karnali Province and 5.35 per cent from Gandaki Province.
According to a press statement issued by the CIAA, a total of 441 cases (74.2 per cent) were taken to the Special Court in the last fiscal year, 113 (16.5 per cent) cases were kept on hold (Tameli) and nine (1.3 per cent) cases were kept in Multabi (halting investigation).
Of these 441 cases, 205 cases are related to public officials receiving bribes from service seekers, 85 cases of forgery of academic certificates, 75 cases related to causing losses of public property and 36 cases on seeking undue benefit. Likewise, 12 cases were related to revenue embezzlement, 18 to acquiring property illegally and 10 to other issues.
The CIAA has filed 2,878 cases at the court until now from the date of its establishment.
It has claimed a total amount of Rs. 2.53 billion compensation from these 441 cases. As per the report, the CIAA arrested 208 government officials, 14 elected representatives and 55 agents red-handed for receiving bribes.
The CIAA has urged the government to enact a powerful law enabling it to freely investigate and punish the wrongdoers.