Kathmandu. Does the chairman or CEO of the bank take a bribe while taking a loan? The same cannot be said in private banks, but in government banks, such bribes are like open secrets. Not only to take loans, but bribes are used in many things in government banks to get work, to take tenders, to get awards, to get audits. Whether it is Rastriya Banijya Bank or Nepal Bank, bribery scandals continue in these banks from time to time. Moreover, the fact that bribery transactions were done to get awards in Agriculture Development Bank is still under consideration with the regulator. The former chairman of the bank has been found guilty in a similar bribery case in Nepal Bank.

Yes, the then chairman of the board of directors of Nepal Bank Limited, Dr. Chandra Bahadur Adhikari has been convicted in a bribery case. The Special Court on Monday convicted Adhikari. The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) had filed 6 separate cases against Adhikari on the charge of taking bribes from businessmen on the pretext of facilitating the flow of loans. He has been convicted in two cases and partially convicted in two. After finding evidence that he had taken bribes, the Rastra Bank also took action against him.

50 lakhs bribe on the pretext of arranging a loan of Rs. 25 crore

The CIAA had filed a case against Adhikari after finding that Adhikari had demanded a bribe of Rs 50 lakh, or 2 per cent of the loan amount, on the pretext of providing a loan of Rs 25 crore to Akala Devi Traders. The responsibility of collecting money from borrowers Dan Bahadur Karki, Sundar Bahadur Baniya and Narayan Prasad Baral was initiated by Santosh Subedi. In the first phase, Rs 7 lakh was deposited in the bank account. Out of this, Rs 5 lakh was transferred through the accounts of various people to the account of Adhikari’s wife and later deposited in the account of Adhikari’s wife.

Five lakh rupees after passing nine steps and depositing

The money was transferred in nine phases before the bribe of Rs 5 lakh reached the officer’s account. The money started from the borrower was diverted through the bank accounts of various people and finally transferred to the officer’s account. The investigation revealed that the process took about a month to complete.

The remaining Rs 45 lakh was tried to be paid through two cheques of Rs 30 lakh and Rs 15 lakh. The cheques of Rs 30 lakh and Rs 15 lakh deducted by the borrowers were conveyed to the authorities through various persons.

Businessman complains after not getting loan

The bribe was agreed with the officer. However, due to the valuation of the collateral, the loan was not available as per the demand. When the loan was not received, the businessmen demanded the return of the amount and cheque given to them. However, when the amount and cheque were not returned, they complained to the higher officials of the bank and also to the Nepal Rastra Bank. After this, the Rastra Bank investigated the officer.

During the investigation, Adhikari was fined Rs 5 lakh and removed from the chairman of the board of directors of Nepal Bank and reduced to a member. Adhikari had also taken a bribe from Himal-Terai Construction, which is in the name of Rajman Tamang of Kavre. He had demanded a bribe of Rs 6 lakh from Nepal Bank and took a cheque of Rs 5 lakh. Both Adhikari and businessman Rajman Tamang have been convicted in this case.

Allegations of bribery of 1.9 million in a loan of Rs. 1.77 billion

It was found that the bribe officer had demanded a bribe of Rs 1.9 billion saying that he would arrange a loan of Rs 1.77 billion. The Radisson Project under Bhusal Hospitality in Belhiya, Rupandehi, had started the process of taking a loan of more than Rs 1.77 billion from Nepal Bank. For which he had demanded a bribe of Rs 19 lakh. During this time, the investigation revealed that the bribe was taken through two cheques of Rs 7 lakh and Rs 13 lakh.