Punish PIA Scammers

In a major anti-graft move, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) on Sunday filed a corruption case against 55 individuals and a company (the Chinese contractor), including five former ministers and 10 former secretaries, over the irregularities in the construction of Pokhara International Airport (PIA). The CIAA has alleged that the ministers, secretaries and construction company colluded to increase the construction cost to US$244.04 million against the cost fixed at US$169.69 million. The overrun is estimated at around $74.34 million, equivalent to approximately Rs. 8.36 billion.

Pokhara International Airport was constructed with Chinese loan assistance by a Chinese construction company. It was a national pride project expected to significantly boost tourism, enhance connectivity and support the economic growth of the country. However, the corruption of this magnitude in the national pride project has tarnished the nation's image in the eyes of the international community. This has posed a risk of losing trust with foreign investors and donors. This type of corruption case increases public debt while failing to generate expected benefits. 

The PIA commenced operations in January 2023 but it has been embroiled in a corruption scam at a time when it is not receiving scheduled passenger flights.   The corruption case has shaken the nation. If the airport is not functioning at its full capacity, what was the use of investing billions in something that barely bears any fruit ?  The same is the case with the Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa. These idle airports, marred by corruption, show why Nepal lags in economic development. The scandal can strain our relationship with the international community and foreign investment might suffer in the future, affecting other development projects. Nepal relies on foreign investment, aid, grants and loans to carry out its development works. The flow of FDI is crucial to push the big infrastructure projects that carry the potential of boosting employment and economic growth. 

The charge sheet claims that the decision to award the contract and related approvals and cost revisions was made with malicious intent. Five former ministers , former secretaries, joint secretaries, of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, former board members Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) and former Director Generals of the Civil Aviation Authority have been  indicted, showing how deeply rooted corruption is in the civil aviation sector of Nepal. While talking about this, we cannot forget the corruption cases involving the 2017 purchase of two Airbus by CAAN.

About two months back, the Gen Z movement rocked the nation, demanding that corruption infesting every sphere of governance be rooted out. The government, formed on the mandate of the Gen Z movement, is opening the files of corruption cases, doing justice to the spirit of the revolution. Widespread corruption breeds poverty and inequality. The guilty of the PIA scam should not be spared to set a strong precedent that corruption will not be tolerated. Be it a politician, bureaucrat or contractor, if they are found guilty after an investigation, should be prosecuted and the government should recover the misused funds from them. The political parties must not come to the defence of their implicated leaders, while the government should not drag its feet when getting tough with those siphoning off taxpayers' money.