CIAA Must Continue Chasing Bigger Fish

The arrest of Pradeep Adhikari, Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), along with several other senior officials, has once again thrown the spotlight on long-standing corruption cases. The poorly constructed Nalinchowk Heliport has now become a prime example, with the CAAN chief and multiple officers dragged into the anti-graft net. The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed a case in the Special Court against Adhikari; former director Murari Bhandari; engineer Sambridhi Shrestha; deputy manager Nal Bikram Thapa; and a number of private consultants. They have all been ordered to reimburse Rs 135 million in public funds allegedly embezzled or squandered during the project. The Nalinchowk Heliport, inaugurated in June 2024, is already out of service after a series of safety inspections raised serious concerns. Joint teams comprising CAAN officials, air safety experts and university engineers unanimously concluded that the site was unsafe. Helicopter pilots and local residents had also warned that the facility risked catastrophic accidents. The helipad failed to meet ICAO standards as well. According to the CIAA, officials deliberately bypassed mandatory studies and legal procedures, pushed the project forward, and misled authorities.