Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Rabindra Adhikari has conceded his mistake in providing wrong information about procurement of two wide-body planes by the Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) to the subcommittee under the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the parliament.
“I had told the subcommittee that no payment was made during my term at the ministry but I later realized that two installments had gone after I became minister. But I have not signed on that,” he said holding a press conference at the ministry premises Monday morning. “The money went during my term even though it went as per the schedule prepared earlier. I feel I have made mistake in my statement to subcommittee.”
He argued that the Auditor General’s report does not speak about whether to stop the installments or not despite pointing at irregularities in the report. He also claimed that Auditor General Tanka Mani Sharma advised him to pay money. “I did not ask him formally. I had asked when the topic came around during a meeting. I said the same thing in the subcommittee. I don’t have to say anything if he has forgotten,” he added.
Auditor General Tanka Mani Sharma, however, told the subcommittee that Minister Adhikari did not consult him about the payment and even mentioned that in the registered letter. The subcommittee’s report mentions that Minister Adhikari seems to have connived with bad intentions to make the payment as the auditor general in his recorded statement claimed Minister Adhikari provided false details.
Minister Adhikari also claimed he was not involved in the procurement process and the subcommittee has accused him of irregularities based on mere speculations.
The subcommittee’s report made public on Wednesday concluded that Minister Adhikari was complicit in corruption of Rs 4.3556 billion during the procurement process. The subcommittee headed by NC lawmaker Rajan KC also found moral responsibility of Adhikari’s predecessors Jitendra Narayan Dev and Jeevan Bahadur Shahi in the case.
The government has already called the report erroneous and formed a probe commission to investigate the procurement process.
The Cabinet meeting Thursday formed a high level probe commission under former justice Govinda Prasad Parajuli, and including former deputy attorney general Nanda Prasad Pathak and chartered accountant Madan Sharma giving it 45 days to submit its report.
The PAC, meanwhile, has handed over the report to secretariat for amendment after the majority of lawmakers from ruling CPN during the meeting at Singha Durbar on Friday demanded amendment.
