Kathmandu: Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed corruption charges against seven individuals, including the former head of immigration at Tribhuvan International Airport, in a high-profile case involving the illegal facilitation of visit visas for migrant workers seeking jobs abroad.
After nearly seven months of investigation, the CIAA submitted its charge sheet to the Special Court on Thursday, accusing the group of orchestrating a systematic bribery scheme that allowed young Nepalis to travel overseas under the guise of tourist visas while extorting substantial illegal payments.
The agency has claimed damages equivalent to approximately Rs 8 million based on evidence uncovered during the probe.
Leading the list of defendants is Tirtharaj Bhattarai, the former chief immigration officer (a joint-secretary level official), who is named as the primary accused. He is alleged to have colluded with immigration section officer Yagya Aryal, travel agency operator Bal Krishna Khadka, and intermediaries including Khem Subedi and Kabita Paudel, among others.
Investigators found that airport immigration staff worked in an organized manner with middlemen to demand bribes from outbound travelers. Those heading to Gulf countries were reportedly charged up to Rs 50,000 per person, while travellers bound for European destinations faced demands as high as Rs 300,000, enabling daily collections of hundreds of thousands in illicit funds.
The scandal came to light after the CIAA conducted a surprise raid on the immigration office in late May, following complaints of widespread financial irregularities at the airport involving visit visas.
During the operation, Bhattarai and three others were initially detained. The subsequent in-depth inquiry, which included witness statements, evidence collection, and technical analysis, led to the conclusion that around Rs 8 million in corrupt proceeds had been generated, prompting the formal charges.
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