CIAA files graft cases against 26 NEA staff

The anti-graft body today filed two corruption cases against 26 Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) officials, including managing director Rameshwor Yadav and four suppliers, on charges of corruption of more than Rs 411.83 million while supplying sub-standard transformers.

A charge sheet filed by Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) at the Special Court read that the state power utility lost over Rs 318.20 million while purchasing 1,260 transformers in first phase and Rs 93.63 million while buying 735 transformers in the second phase, some two years ago.
The NEA had – two years ago –purchased transformers in the first phase and in the second phase the World Bank had also funded.

The Chinese supplier, its representatives and higher NEA officials including MD Yadav, former MD Jibendra Jha, former acting MD Tikaram BC, former MD Chiranjivi Sharma Poudel, deputy director Harish Bahadur Pal were involved in the first phase, while, the NEA higher officials were involved in the second phase of the transformer purchase process, according to the CIAA charge sheet that has asked the Special Court to sentence the accused NEA officials 10 years’ imprisonment, and Chinese suppliers two years jail term.

Meanwhile,  the CIAA has investigated the purchase of sub-standard transformers from Hubei Sunlight Electric only. The CIAA is still investigating another suppliers –Sahabhant Electronic from Thailand and four Chinese companies Shenyang Dongneng Electricity Equipment, Hubei Sunlight Electric, SVR Electrical and Sichuan Dongfang Transformer — as they had supplied sub-standard transformers worth Rs 5 billion, earlier.The internal study of the NEA had revealed a multi-billion scam – biggest than infamous Darfur scam – while purchasing the sub-standard transformers with aluminum instead of copper wires.