CIAA finds 14 govt staff guilty in passport scam
By Our Correspondent ,
KATHMANDU, Feb. 14: The Commission for Investigation of the Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has found 14 civil servants, including two under secretaries and seven section officers, of being involved in making fake passports or making forged documents to get passports, including citizenship certificates.
One under secretary, two section officers and two non-gazetted officers have their promotions suspended for five years.
The CIAA said Shiva Bahadur Swar, non-gazetted First Class employee at Kathmandu District Administration Office was caught red-handed and has been charged by the Special Court on corruption.
The CIAA, however, refused to disclose the name of other government employees involved in fake passport scam.
The CIAA at a press conference said that the convicts used to come up with false relatives ? father or brother ? to make citizenship paper for non-Nepalese. Or, they would make citizenship papers in the name those who are already dead.
The CIAA had been investigating on the cases by forming a separate cell for the last one year.
Most of those issued forged passports or citizenship papers belonged to people from Darjeeling, Kalingpong and other Indian citizens, who appear similar to Nepalese, CIAA said.
While most of non-Nepalese were found making forged passports or citizenship papers to go abroad or for jobs here, the Nepalese make forged citizenship papers to alter their age to be eligible for certain jobs, such as police, army or to go abroad for studies, which have age-limit.
Commissioner Lila Bahadur Limbu said that after the cell was formed, it had investigated on 22 cases related to forged passports. Sixteen cases have been finalized with 10 of those filed at the Special Court. Two are on pending and four were referred to other offices for necessary action.
The CIAA is carrying out studies on six remaining cases.
Limbu said that the CIAA had asked the foreign ministry to cancel the forged passports and if those carrying fake passports, the Nepalese missions abroad should be notified.
He also said that majority of the forged passports were issued by the Foreign Ministry and the Kathmandu District Administration Office.
In 36 other cases related to the citizenship certificates, the CIAA has kept seven cases on pending, 19 have been referred to the concern departments for action. The CIAA is investigating on 10 cases.
Superintendent of Police Dhan Raj Rana said that the cases of fake citizenship certificates were rampant in the Terai belt.
He said that the government was also planning to control this and the CIAA would also make indirect observation and take actions to officials and brokers involved in illegal works. HEADLINES
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