The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has lodged an appeal with the Supreme Court (SC) to challenge punishment handed down to the former executive director of Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC), Gopal Khadka.

On June 30, 2023, the Special Court sentenced Khadka to 15 months in prison and levied a fine of Rs 90.19 million for his involvement in illegal wealth accumulation.

In its initial appeal filed on January 2, 2019, the CIAA had accused Khadka of unlawfully amassing Rs 186.67 million and had urged for the seizure of the amount, along with a two-year prison term.

CIAA sources contends that the sentencing was only approximately half of what was initially requested, failing to meet their expectations.

The charges against Khadka include accusations of concealing assets under the names of individuals unrelated to him. While the Special Court ruled to confiscate three plots of land registered under these names as compensation, the CIAA maintains that this action does not sufficiently address the extent of Khadka’s alleged wrongdoing.

In the course of its investigation, it was revealed that Khadka possessed assets valued at Rs 273.75 million, of which only Rs 86.47 million could be accounted for as legitimate income. Khadka is alleged to have accrued Rs 74.4 million within a mere six months of assuming the position of Executive Director at NOC.

The former NOC executive director had purportedly constructed and acquired three additional houses, in addition to his ancestral property and had also made partial payments for the acquisition of two houses and purchased eleven plots of land across various locations.

According to the charge-sheet, Khadka had invested Rs 116.1 million exclusively in real estate and had stashed away Rs 27.1 million across 55 different banks, cooperatives, and financial institutions.