CIAA files chargesheet against Sharma BY KIRAN CHAPAGAIN KATHMANDU, Nov 28 - The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) today filed a case against former finance minister Rabindra Nath Sharma in the Special Court, after 39 days of judicial detention. Sharma has been accused of amassing property disproportionate to his known sources of income and being involved in a gold-smuggling scandal about seven years ago. According to a CIAA source, Sharma has earned Rs. 49.55 million from unknown sources and embezzled about Rs 11 million in the 100-kg gold smuggling scam. The gold was brought to Nepal from North Korea in a Singapore Airlines flight and was found in a disowned state at the airport. Sharma is former vice president of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party and a confidante of Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa. In the charge-sheet, according to a CIAA source, Sharma has been alleged of using the money from the gold scam to buy votes of the parliamentarians to escape the no-confidence motion at that time. The source further said that Janardan Sharma, the former chief at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) Customs Office, withdrew the amount to pay the informers a commission as per the practice. There is a practice of paying 10 per cent of value of the confiscated articles to the informants. But, instead of giving the money to the informers, he gave it to Sharma. The CIAA has sought confiscation of the allegedly illegal property, fines matching the crime and imprisonment in the charge-sheet against the RPP leader. The CIAA had arrested Sharma 39 days ago to investigate into his property as the report of the Judicial Inquiry Commission on Property (JICP) indicated his names among 40 corrupt politicians and bureaucrats. Sharma’s allegedly illegal property includes a house worth of Rs 7 million at Bishnu VDC, Kathmandu, property worth of Rs. 20 million in the name of his two sons, three private vehicles, including a Pajero. Besides, he has invested Rs 4.1 million in shares and lent millions of rupees as loan. He has claimed agriculture as the source of his income in the statement submitted to the JICP. Meanwhile, the CIAA today decided to put on hold the corruption cases of former ministers Dhundi Raj Sastri and Devi Prasad Ojha. A CIAA statement said that the investigations into their property could not establish the allegations that their earnings were from unknown sources. Golden truth A source at the CIAA told The Kathmandu Post that North Korean diplomat Jo Kun Ha and others had smuggled the 100-kg gold into Nepal in a Singapore Airlines flight via Singapore. The gold was found in a disowned state.Meanwhile, the CIAA today arrested Janardan Sharma, former chief of the Tribhuvan International Airport Customs Office who was involved in the gold scam, from his residence at Bishalnagar. The source also added that Kripaswore Sherpa and Madhav Raj Pokharel, who were the staff working under Sharma during that time, were acquitted of their charges in the scam for cooperating with the CIAA investigation team.