KATHMANDU, July 13: Minister for Federal Affairs and General Administration Raj Kumar Gupta has been implicated in a bribery case following the release of an audio recording involving a deal related to the transfer of a land revenue official under the Ministry of Land Management.
The case was reported to the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), which has already begun an investigation. The complaint alleges that Minister Gupta accepted a bribe of Rs 5.3 million to stop the transfer of the then Chief of the Land Revenue Office in Kaski. Along with the complaint, photos of two bags allegedly containing the bribe, serial numbers of the currency notes, and images of bundled cash were submitted. The audio recording surfaced shortly after the complaint, where Gupta is heard naming Land Management Minister Balram Adhikari as being involved.
The CIAA received the complaint on June 24 and has since launched a formal inquiry.
Minister Gupta implicated in bribery scandal over civil servant...
In the nearly 10-minute audio clip, Minister Gupta is heard discussing financial dealings with a middleman and a woman concerning the appointment of a district chairperson of the Land Commission. The recording also references halting the transfer of Ram Chandra Adhikari, then chief of the Kaski Land Revenue Office, allegedly in exchange for a bribe.
The audio contains further references to ongoing financial transactions: one voice mentions delivering NPR 2 million to Minister Balram Adhikari for Khem Bahadur Pun, a CPN-UML member of the Gandaki Province Assembly, in exchange for his appointment as Kaski chair of the Land Commission. The bribe was reportedly split into two installments—Rs 1.5 million on the day of the conversation and another Rs 1 million the next day.
Minister Gupta could not be reached for comment, as he did not respond to phone calls.
