Pradeep Pariyar, the then chief administrative officer of Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), has been released on bail in a corruption case.
On Wednesday, a bench of Special Court Judges Tej Narayan Singh Rai, Ram Bahadur Thapa, and Ritendra Thapa ordered Pariyar’s release on a bail of Rs 25,000.
Pariyar has already been released after posting the bail, said the court’s deputy registrar Krishna Sharan Lamichhane.
The court demanded Rs 50,000 each as bail from Basanta Acharya and Namaraj Dhakal, who appeared alongside Pariyar in the same case.
On June 11, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) filed a case against Pariyar and six others, accusing them of causing loss to public property through corruption.
Pariyar was serving as the director general at the Department of Information and Broadcasting at the time, but was suspended following the filing of the case.
Along with Pariyar, the CIAA also filed charges against KMC’s Director Rabinman Shrestha, Director Shivaraj Adhikari, Basanta Acharya, Namaraj Dhakal, Assistant Director Uttam Dahal, and Engineer Janardan Giri.
The CIAA accused them of committing corruption by awarding the contract for sewer construction work along the Samakhusi corridor from Basundhara to Mhepi at a price higher than the bid amount.
Two companies—Samanantar Nirman Sewa Pvt. Ltd. and Kalpavriksha-Kohinoor JV—had bid for the sewer construction contract. Samanantar submitted a lower bid, while Kalpavriksha-Kohinoor bid higher.
A complaint was filed alleging that the contract was awarded to Kalpavriksha-Kohinoor JV despite submitting a higher bid.
The accused face a claim for damages amounting to Rs 43.17 million.
