Kathmandu. KATHMANDU: The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed a corruption case at the Special Court, Kathmandu against eight officials including the then General Manager of Udayapur Cement Industry in connection with the alleged irregularities of clinker embezzlement worth Rs 465 million.

The anti-graft body has filed a corruption case against then General Manager Surendra Kumar Poudel and Deputy General Manager Mahesh Prasad Kafle, claiming a fine of Rs 124 million each. Similarly, the then acting general manager Naval Kishore Sah, production division chief Sanjay Kumar Lal, store division chief Mahesh Prasad Sah, clinker production department chief Rabi Chandra Poudel, cement production department chief Hari Prasad Adhikari and sales department chief Ram Bahadur GC were also present. A charge sheet has been filed at the Special Court claiming a fine of Rs 465.2 million 74 thousand 426 each.

The CIAA had started investigation saying that the consumption of clinker in the industry was shown to be high on paper but the actual production and stock were low. A total of 38,769 metric tons of clinker were embezzled from the fiscal year 2074/75 to mid January 2077, the CIAA claimed.

According to the indictment, the defendants had acted in connivance with the intention of destroying government property by showing more stock of clinker in the paper records but less in actual storage. The ministry’s investigation report states that the production ratio of clinker to limestone should normally be 0.725 but it has come down to 0.649 in Udayapur Cement Industry.

According to the CIAA, in the fiscal year 2074/75, 1,129 metric tons of clinker were embezzled, causing a loss of around Rs 11.4 million. Similarly, in the fiscal year 2075/76, 10,290 metric tons of clinker was embezzled, causing a loss of around Rs 113.3 million and in the fiscal year 2076/77, 1,325 metric tons of clinker was embezzled, causing a loss of around Rs 16.2 million. Similarly, in the fiscal year 2020, 26,115 metric tons of clinker was embezzled, causing a loss of around Rs 324.3 million.