Kathmandu, December 26
Auditor General Tanka Mani Sharma says he neither met Aviation Minister Rabindra Adhikari nor advised him on the procurement of two wide-body aircraft for Nepal Airlines.
Sharma’s comments come a day after Minister Adhikari told lawmakers investigating allegations of corruption during the procurement that Sharma had given his nod to the process.
“What the minister said is not true,” said Sharma. “I have never told him to do anything,” he added. “I have talked to the minister about his remark,” Sharma told Onlinekhabar. “I neither visited his office nor have I given him my opinion on the procurement,” he added.
The Auditor General has raised questions about the procurement process employed by the NAC. The Auditor General’s Office says that the NAC violated procurement rules by amending its global tender notice to allow unqualified companies to file their bids. Meanwhile, the NAC has defended its decision by saying that it has duly followed the law to procure the two aircraft.
