खाद्य कम्पनीविरुद्ध अख्तियारमा उजुरी, यस्ता छन् १५ बुँदे आरोप (पत्रसहित )

काठमाडौँ । खाद्य व्यवस्था तथा व्यापार कम्पनी लिमिटेड गम्भीर आरोपमा मुछिएको छ । अख्तियार दुरुपयोग अनुसन्धान आयोगले कम्पनीमाथि छानबिन गर्न निर्देशनसमेत दिइसकेको छ । उद्योग, वाणिज्य तथा आपूर्ति मन्त्रालयले दिएको छानबिनको निर्देशनपछि प्रतिवेदन मन्त्रालय हुँदै अख्तियार पुगिसकेको छ ।

अख्तियारमा कम्पनी र त्यसका तत्कालीन प्रमुखविरुद्ध १५ आरोप छन् ।

कम्पनीभित्र चामल, धान, दाल, तेल लगायत खाद्यान्न वस्तुहरूको खरिद, ढुवानी, भण्डारण तथा वितरण प्रक्रियामा चरम भ्रष्टाचार (करोडौँ रुपैयाँ) भएको, कम्पनीका प्रमुख कार्यकारी अधिकृत र केही कर्मचारीहरूले आफ्नो व्यक्तिगत लाभका लागि स्रोत दुरुपयोग गरेको भन्दै अख्तियारमा उजुरी परेको थियो ।

मुख्य रूपमा चार बुँदे आरोप लगाउँदै दिइएको उजुरीमा छानबिनको माग गरिएको छ ।

‘कम्पनीको विश्वसनीयता गुमाउँदै सरकारी धनको दुरुपयोग भएको हुँदा सम्बन्धित व्यक्तिलाई अनुसन्धान गरी आवश्यक कानुनी कारबाही गरियोस् तथा पारदर्शिता र जवाफदेहिताको सुनिश्चितता गरिदिनुहुन अनुरोध गर्दछु,’ अख्तियारमा दिइएको उजुरीमा उल्लेख गरिएको छ ।

प्रमुख कार्यकारी अधिकृत रमेशराज आचार्यले गरेको र उनको नेतृत्वमा भएका अनियमितताबारे उजुरीमा १५ बुँदे विस्तृत आरोपहरू पनि खुलाइएको छ ।

यी हुन् १५ बुँदे आरोप

अख्तियारमा परेको उजुरीको आधारमा अख्तियारले उद्योग, वाणिज्य तथा आपूर्ति मन्त्रालयलाई गत वर्ष मंसिर ११ गते तत्काल यस विषयमा छानबिन गर्न पत्र पठाएको थियो । अख्तियारको पत्र आएको ८ दिनपछि मन्त्रालयले खाद्य व्यवस्था तथा व्यापार कम्पनी लिमिटेडलाई छानबिन प्रतिवेदन उपलब्ध गराउन भन्दै पत्र पठाएको थियो ।

२०८२ मंसिर १९ गते मन्त्रालयले कम्पनीलाई ७ दिनभित्र सत्यतथ्य छानबिन गरी प्रतिवेदन पेश गर्न निर्देशन दिएको थियो । पुस ३ गते प्रतिवेदन मन्त्रालयमा पेश गरिएको खाद्य व्यवस्था तथा व्यापार कम्पनी लिमिटेडका उच्च स्रोतले जनाएको छ ।

‘हामीले छानबिन गरेर मन्त्रालयमा प्रतिवेदन बुझाइसकेका छौं,’ उच्च स्रोतले भन्यो, ‘अख्तियारको विषय भएकाले त्यहाँ के उल्लेख गरिएको छ भनेर हामीले भन्न मिल्दैन ।’

खाद्य व्यवस्था तथा व्यापार कम्पनी लिमिटेडले जस्तै जवाफ मन्त्रालयले पनि दिएको छ । उक्त प्रतिवेदन अख्तियारमा पुगिसकेको मन्त्रालय स्रोतले जानकारी दिएको छ ।

‘हामीले उक्त प्रतिवेदन अख्तियारमा पठाइसक्यौं,’ मन्त्रालय स्रोतले भन्यो ।

अख्तियारमा दिइएको उजुरीमा आरोप लगाइएका प्रमुख कार्यकारी अधिकृत आचार्यले राजीनामा दिइसकेका छन् । उनलाई केपी शर्मा ओली नेतृत्वको सरकारले २०८१ साउन २८ गतेको मन्त्रिपरिषद् बैठकबाट नियुक्त गरेको थियो ।

आफूमाथि लागेको आरोपको पनि छानबिन नगराई सरकारले ल्याएको ‘सार्वजनिक पदाधिकारीको पदमुक्तिसम्बन्धी विशेष व्यवस्था अध्यादेश, २०८३’ का कारण उनले राजीनामा दिएका हुन् ।

प्रमुख कार्यकारी अधिकृतको राजीनामापछि डिल्ली लम्साल अहिले निमित्त प्रमुख तोकिएका छन् । अख्तियारमा परेको उजुरी र मन्त्रालयले दिएको निर्देशनबारे किन छानबिन नभएको भन्ने विषयमा उनीसँग पनि चित्तबुझ्दो जवाफ छैन ।

‘म त्यो बेला योजना शाखामा थिइनँ । यसबारे मलाई धेरै जानकारी छैन,’ उनले भने ।

उता अख्तियारले भने यो छानबिनकै विषय रहेको जनाएको छ ।

‘अख्तियारले अनुसन्धान गरिरहेको विषयमा जानकारी दिन मिल्दैन । त्यो विषयमा अहिले अख्तियारले छानबिन गरिरहेको छ,’ सहायक प्रवक्ता एवं सूचना अधिकारी गणेशबहादुर अधिकारीले नेपाल प्रेसलाई भने ।

Kathmandu. Food Management and Trading Company Limited is embroiled in serious allegations. The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority has already directed an investigation into the company. Following the direction of the investigation given by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, the report has been sent to the Authority through the ministry.

The authority has 15 charges against the company and its then head.

A complaint was filed with the Authority alleging extreme corruption (worth millions of rupees) in the procurement, transportation, storage, and distribution of food items including rice, paddy, pulses, and oil within the company, and that the company's CEO and some employees had misused resources for their personal gain.

An investigation has been demanded into the complaint, which mainly alleges four points.

"I request that the relevant person be investigated and necessary legal action be taken, and transparency and accountability be ensured, as government funds have been misused, thereby losing the credibility of the company," the complaint filed with the authority states.

The complaint also contains 15 detailed allegations regarding irregularities committed by Chief Executive Officer Ramesh Raj Acharya and under his leadership.

These are the 15 points of accusation.

Based on the complaint filed with the Authority, the Authority had sent a letter to the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies on November 21 last year to immediately investigate the matter. Eight days after the Authority's letter was received, the ministry had sent a letter to the Food Management and Trading Company Limited asking it to provide an investigation report.

On November 19, 2005, the ministry had directed the company to investigate the facts and submit a report within 7 days. According to a high-ranking source at the Food Management and Trading Company Limited, the report was submitted to the ministry on December 15.

"We have investigated and submitted a report to the ministry," a high-ranking source said. "We cannot say what is mentioned there as it is a matter of jurisdiction."

The Ministry has also given a response, as has the Food Management and Trading Company Limited. Ministry sources have informed that the report has been reached by the Authority.

"We have sent the report to the authority," a ministry source said.

Chief Executive Officer Acharya, who was accused in a complaint filed with the CIAA, has resigned. He was appointed by the KP Sharma Oli-led government in a cabinet meeting on 28th Shrawan 2081.

He resigned due to the 'Special Provisions Ordinance Concerning the Removal of Public Officials, 2083 BS', which was introduced by the government without even investigating the allegations against him.

Dilli Lamsal has now been appointed as the acting chief after the resignation of the chief executive officer. He also does not have a satisfactory answer as to why the complaint filed with the authority and the instructions given by the ministry were not investigated.

"I wasn't in the planning department at the time. I don't know much about it," he said.

On the other hand, the CIAA has stated that this is the subject of an investigation.

"We cannot provide information about the matter that the authority is investigating. The authority is currently investigating that matter," Assistant Spokesperson and Information Officer Ganesh Bahadur Adhikari told Nepal Press.