KATHMANDU, Jan.1: The three-member bench of the Special Court began hearings today on the charge sheet filed against former minister Khum Bahadur Khadka who has been accused of abusing his authority while awarding the contract of the Bakraha River Control Project.

The Commission for Investigation of the Abuse of Authority (CIAA) had filed a charge sheet against Khadka on December 24, accusing him of causing financial damage to the nation worth Rs. 40.5 million while awarding the contract to China Henan International Economic Technical Co-operation.
The CIAA has been demanded that he be sentenced for a maximum of five years along with a fine equal to the damage caused to the nation.

Along with Khadka, the CIAA had filed charge sheets against the then Secretary at the Ministry of Water Resources Bishownath Sapkota, Deputy Director-General of the Irrigation Department Amodananda Mishra, Chief of the Bakraha River Control Project Narayan Bahadur Thapa and Cao Shuangqun, manager of China Henan Construction Company. The CIAA has also demanded maximum sentence and a fine from each of them.

CIAA prosecutors Prem Raj Karki and Yuba Raj Subedi pleaded before the court not to release them on bail as they had misused their authority and harmed the nation. Joint-Attorney General Prem Raj Karki said that Khadka and his associates had illegally taken financial benefit by paying in foreign currency to the construction company, thus violating the Financial Administration Act. He accused them of making the decision to award the contract with the motive of benefitting personally.

Another Joint-Attorney General Yuba Raj Subedi accused all of them of indulging in corruption and ignoring the other competitors bidding for the project. Subedi pleaded that they should not be released on bail.

Advocate Borna Bahadur Karki, pleading on behalf of Narayan Bahadur Thapa, requested the court to release him as he had done no harm to the nation while awarding the contract. The prosecutor on behalf of Khadka and associates will continued on Thursday.

Khadka, Mishra and Thapa were detained by the CIAA on October 30 and have been in judicial custody. Sapkota and the contract manager of China Henan Company have not been detained so far.