The Special Court in Kathmandu has ordered former Secretary Sushil Ghimire to post bail of Rs 150,000 related to the Pokhara International Airport construction case. This case involves allegations of inflating project costs and causing financial losses to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN). The decision was made by a joint bench consisting of judges Narayan Prasad Poudel, Umesh Koirala, and Bidur Koirala.
The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has charged Ghimire under the Corruption Prevention Act, 2002. The charges assert that Ghimire, during his tenure as Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, collaborated with others to hike the approved project cost from USD 169,697,000 to USD 244,040,450, inflicting a loss of USD 74,343,450 on CAAN.
Ghimire has refuted these allegations in both his statements to the investigation and the court. After examining the associated documents and the decisions of the Council of Ministers and CAAN, the court concluded that Ghimire should be released on bail in accordance with the Special Court Act, 2002, pending further trial proceedings.