Biratnagar, August 28
Minister for Supplies Shiva Kumar Mandal says his ministry will take action against the embattled state oil chief Gopal Bahadur Khadka, who, along with his associates, allegedly embezzled billions of rupees during procurement of land to build storage facilities around the country.
Mandal, who was speaking to mediapersons in Biratnagar on Monday, said the ministry could not take action against the NOC chief because a parliamentary panel formed to investigate the case has not formally submitted its report to the government.
The Minister said ministry cannot take action against Khadka without the report because the NOC followed all legal procedures during the procurement. “The ministry will immediately take action if the Public Accounts Committee and the CIAA recommend such action. Anyone found guilty will not be spared,” added the minister.
Nepal Oil Corporation’s recent purchase of land in four places of the country to build petroleum storage facilities has been dragged into controversy. Various parliamentary committees and Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority have launched investigations into the case.
Parliament’s Public Account Committee has already concluded that the deals involved number of irregularities whereas the Industry, Commerce and Consumer Welfare Committee is conducting an on-site monitoring.
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NOC land purchase: Eight questions Gopal Khadka needs to answer
