A complaint has been filed against Minister for Health and Population Rajendra Mahato in the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority alleging that he sought huge amounts of money as bribe in appointing officials under his ministry.
The complaint lodged by civil servants in the Health Ministry has accused the minister of taking Rs 5 million through his aide while appointing Praveen Mishra as the health secretary.
Upendra Mahato, close aide to the minister, allegedly collected a total of Rs 50 million from Dr Yasobardhan Pradhan, director general of the Department of Health Services; Dr Ramesh Kharel, director of the National Centre for Aids and STD Control; Dr Ananda Shrestha, director of the Primary Health Care-Revitalisation Division; Dr GD Thakur, director of the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division; Dr Geeta Shakya, director of the National Public Health Laboratory; and Dr Shila Burma, director of the Maternity Hospital, Thapathali, among other officials, according to the complaint.
Dr Ananda Shrestha had replaced Dr BS Tinkari, and Dr GD Thakur had replaced Chudamani Bhandari right after Mahato was appointed the health minister.
On October 1 last year, the minister abused his authority by distributing cash to journalists as ‘Dashain gift’, say the petitioners. The money, according to the charge, was given by Badri Khadka, the director of the National Health, Education, Information and Communication Centre.
The complaint also accuses Mahato of taking Rs 5 million bribe while extending the tenure of Dr Nil Mani Upadhyay, registrar of the Nepal Medical Council.
The complaint says that Upendra has been seeking money on behalf of Mahato from various hospital chiefs, District Public Health Officers and Regional Health Directors.
It also states that Mahato demanded Rs 10 million through Jitendra Mahaseth, his another aide, while appointing BP Das as the Vice Chancellor of the BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan.
Mahato has reportedly taken Rs 5 million in advance from Bishal Pandit, a drug supplier, assuring him a contract for medicine supply. The sum is said to have been used to complete Mahato’s house being constructed in Bhimsengola, Kathmandu.
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