Former Prime Minister Nepal and 97 others charged in land swap corruption case

Corruption charges filed against former Prime Minister

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed a corruption case against former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and 97 other individuals. The charges stem from allegations that the cabinet granted permission for a land swap involving property that was slated for nationalization. This marks the second corruption case filed against the former Prime Minister, with a previous case involving the Patanjali Yogpeeth land swap currently pending before the Special Court.

The land in question, originally held by Rijal Canning and Company, was granted as an exemption for fruit farming during the Panchayat era. According to the CIAA, the land was subject to conditions requiring it to be nationalized once the fruit farming operations ceased. Despite a 1991 high-level investigation committee recommending the land be confiscated for failure to meet these conditions, the cabinet under Madhav Kumar Nepal approved a land swap on December 1, 2009.

Details of the land swap allegations

The CIAA alleges that the decision-making process involved a conflict of interest, as the cabinet's social committee, led by then-minister Dr. Minendra Rijal, facilitated the swap. The commission claims that the land, which was originally purchased for 1.28 million rupees, was sold for over 838 million rupees after the swap was authorized. The CIAA is seeking a recovery of 734.9 million rupees from the defendants.

The list of defendants includes former minister Dr. Minendra Rijal, former Chief Secretary Madhav Prasad Ghimire, and various government officials from the land revenue and agricultural departments. Additionally, the commission has named family members of deceased officials and the directors of Rijal Canning and Company as defendants. The CIAA asserts that the former Prime Minister was aware that the decision would lead to a conflict of interest.

Allegations of intimidation by the Prime Minister's office

In a separate development, the Nepali Congress has criticized the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers' office, labeling it a 'torture chamber.' This criticism follows an incident involving the Sunkoshi-Marin Diversion Multipurpose Project, where the Director General of the Department of Water Resources and Irrigation, Dinesh Rajauriya, and project chief Krishna Prasad Rijal were reportedly detained for two days.

According to the Nepali Congress, the officials were held under pressure from the Prime Minister's secretariat to cancel a tender process for the project. Parliamentary party leader Bhishmaraj Angdembe alleged that the government is spreading terror in the administrative sector. The opposition claims that the Prime Minister's development advisor, Sanjeev Pandey, and private secretary Subas Sharma were involved in coercing the officials to cancel the tender.

Context of administrative tensions

Public procurement experts have noted that tender processes can only be canceled under specific legal conditions defined in the Public Procurement Act. The Nepali Congress has highlighted this incident as part of a broader pattern of behavior, referencing previous allegations from June 2026 where Prime Minister Balen Shah's aides allegedly pressured CIAA officials to issue arrest warrants regarding a passport tender involving a German company.

The government has remained silent regarding these allegations of administrative overreach. The Nepali Congress has stated that the resolution to these issues must be sought through the parliament, citing concerns over the influence of intermediaries and the perceived atmosphere of fear within government offices.