Kathmandu, January 7
Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Rabindra Adhikari says the controversy around the procurement of two wide-body jets is part of a conspiracy to push the NAC towards failure.
“After we procured the aircraft, other airlines have seen their business decline, while ours has improved,” said Adhikari, one of the officials named in a report prepared by Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee’s sub-panel that investigated the procurement. “If we are not ambitious now, the corporation will become bankrupt,” added the minister, who organised a press conference in Kathmandu on Monday morning.
“My name was associated with the procurement based on hypothesis and prejudice,” Minister Adhikari told mediapersons. The sub-committee recommended action against Adhikari for giving his nod for the payment of the final instalment during the procurement process even when the Auditor General pointed out lapses in the procurement process. Similarly, Adhikari has been accused of lying to lawmakers by passing the buck on the Auditor General when asked to explain his decision.
“Although the Auditor General raised questions about the procurement, the Supreme Court on December 13, 2017 ruled that the government should not stop the processing of payment for the two aircraft,” Adhikari told mediapersons.
Asked on why he lied to the lawmakers of the sub-panel, Adhikari accepted that what he told the committee was not accurate. “I had met him informally and talked about the issue. But I did not give my nod for the final installment based on the conversation,” added the minister.
