 |
Kathmandu Wednesday January 17, 2001 Magh 04, 2057.
|
Minister Chataut grilled over Lauda Air deal
Post Report
 |
| Minister
for Tourism and Civil Aviation Tarani Dutt Chataut talking to reporters on Tuesday after
he was interrogated by the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority for five
hours regarding controversial Lauda Air deal. |
KATHMANDU, Jan 16 - Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority
(CIAA), the constitutional anti-corruption body, today interrogated Minister for Culture,
Tourism and Civil Aviation Tarini Datta Chataut for four hours in connection with the
controversial Lauda Air-Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation (RNAC) deal.
According to sources at CIAA, Minister Chataut today denied his involvement
in irregularities and pledged support to the investigation on the jet deal.
Minister Chataut was questioned by Chief Commissioner at CIAA Surya Nath
Upadhyay, Commissioner Basudev Lamichhane and Joint Secretary Surya Prasad Koirala.
Commissioner Lamichhane has been appointed to head the investigation into the
controversial deal. "We have not yet finished interrogation, we have called him
(Chataut) again on January 25," Lamichhane told The Kathmandu Post today. "We
can call the Prime Minister or the members of the management committee of RNAC if needed,
after the inquiry with the Minister is over."
Minister Chataut today told CIAA that he could not provide every detail
concerning the deal since RNAC and not him was more involved with it. "This is
concerned with RNAC and everything about the deal cannot be told at once," he is
learnt to have told the Commission today.
Talking to journalists after the interrogation, Minister Chataut said,
"I gave answers to all of their queries. I will come again if necessary," he
told. He, however, refused to provide the details of the questions that were put to him.
"I know my responsibility," he said briefly.
When asked about the financial irregularities in the deal, Minister Chataut
said "Journalists would know better about the financial irregularities and they would
themselves set the records right."
This is the second time Minister Chataut faced queries about the deal. Before
this he was present at the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Parliament on the second
week of December to furnish the details of the deal.
On December 21, the parliamentary committee also questioned Prime Minister
Girija Prasad Koirala.
CIAA had directed the Cabinet to lease an aircraft for the national flag
carrier on tender basis after repeated complaints of irregularity were filed. But RNAC
bigwigs went ahead to lease the Lauda Air B-767 aircraft for one and half years’
period , flouting the Cabinet’s direction to follow the instructions of CIAA.
The aircraft landed at the Tribhuvan International Airport on December 1
despite calls by the PAC to freeze the deal until its investigation into the deal was
over. The aircraft has been under RNAC operation since December 1, 2000. RNAC has already
leased aircraft at 18 other times for its use before this.
The executive chairman of RNAC, Hari Bhakta Shrestha has already been
suspended by the government on the recommendation of CIAA.
Other Stories
|
