CIAA claims 80 percent success in corruption cases

SANTOSH GHIMIRE

--Rs 1,662,490,789 sought from defendants
--168 corruption cases, involving 652 defendants (600 males and 52 females) filed at Special Court
-- Of 22,602 complaints registered, 12982 complaints settled

KATHMANDU Jan 28: The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has claimed that it achieved a successful conviction rate of 80 percent among the corruption cases filed at the Special Court in the fiscal year 2013/2014.

An annual report submitted by the constitutional anti-graft body to President Dr Ram Baran Yadav on Tuesday reads: "Among the corruption cases filed by the commission at the Special Court, verdicts on 98 cases have been made
available. The commission has achieved a successful conviction rate of 80 percent during 2013/2014; and for 19 cases lost at the Special Court; a review process is underway at the Supreme Court." 

While receiving the report from CIAA Chief Commissioner Lokman Singh Karki, President Dr Yadav expressed that he was satisfied with the CIAA´s recent efforts. 

"I am hopeful that the CIAA will play more active role in promoting good governance and curbing corruption in the country in the days ahead," the president said on the occasion. 

Chief Commissioner Karki said that CIAA is not only focusing on cases of petty corruption. "I am determined to carry out investigation on all kinds of corruption in the country," Karki said. 

The anti-graft body has said in its report that recovery of a total of Rs 1 billion 662 million, 490 thousand and 789 (Rs 1,662,490,789) has been sought from defendants in the past one-year period. "In this fiscal year, a total of Rs 537,009,366.44 has been sought in 93 corruption cases in the Special court," the report said. 

According to the report, a total of 168 corruption cases involving 652 defendants (600 males and 52 females) have been filed at the Special Court. 

According to the report, out of 22,602 complaints registered at the CIAA during the one-year period, 12,982 complaints were settled. "Out of those complaints settled, the preliminary investigations of 6185 were kept under disposition, 899 were sent for detailed investigation and various actions were taken in 5,817 complaints," the report said. The commission has claimed that the CIAA headquarters has tackled 68 percent of the complaints received. 

Of the total complaints received by the commission, the highest number of complaints were related to the Ministry of Education (13 percent). The remaining complaints were related to the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development 1,857 (8 percent), Ministry of Land Reforms and Management 1,292 (6 percent), Ministry of Home 1,010 (4 percent), Ministry of Finance (890) and Ministry of Health and Population 768 (three percent). 

"In addition to these, there were 2469 complaints (11 percent) related to property valuations and special investigation, and 1,190 complaints (5 percent) to fake academic certificates," the report read.

Releasing the annual report amid a press conference at the CIAA headquarters, on Tuesday, CIAA Spokesperson Shreedhar Sapkota said that the CIAA is doing its best to curb corruption in the country. 

The CIAA has noted that there is a tendency among the government officials to hide their illicit wealth in foreign countries and it has found various cases where officials have accumulated property disproportionate to their known sources of income. 

In its report, the CIAA has pointed out that some foreign-aided projects have been implemented separately using different financial system than what is being followed at present by the government.

Explaining about its challenges, the CIAA has said that investigation into cases in illicit wealth has been extremely difficult as the suspects do not have any property in their names within the country. 

The CIAA has also mentioned various reform programs which need to start in the days to come. "There is a growing tendency to avoid decisions or to relieve them from the possible risks associated with the decision, in the name of policy level decisions, a practice of taking decisions from the cabinet," the report said while talking about policy level corruption in the country. 

The commission said that directly or indirectly such practices tend to create opportunities for corruption and improper conducts. 

"There is no effective utilization of foreign aid money in the construction of infrastructure...," the report said, adding, "Huge portion of foreign aid is being spent through NGO-monitoring agencies, the activities of NGOs working in the field of national priority are not found to be transparent." - See more at: http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=91109#sthash.XCNc7yOA.dpuf