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Kathmandu Tuesday September 11, 2001 Bhadra 26, 2058.
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Probe committee releases report on ANFA
Post Report
KATHMANDU, Sept 10 - The high level probing committee headed
by the National Sports Council’s (NSC) advocate, Ram Krishna Nirala, to investigate
over the allegation of financial misappropriations against Ganesh Thapa - the former
president of All Nepal Football Association (ANFA), presented its report to NSC
member-secretary Binod Shanker Palikhe on Monday.
The three-member committee, which also included Arjun Bahadur
KC and Bijaya Mishra, was formed on August 2 upon the request from the Commission of
Investigation for Abuse of Authority (CIIA) following complaints regarding financial
misappropriation at ANFA.
The chairman of the committee, Nirala, while briefing major
points of the report to reporters, said that the ANFA officials carried out works against
the association’s statute and that president Ganesh Thapa at the association had been
more like a proprietor.
The report indicates that advance amounting to Rs 12.75
million had been issued during Thapa’s five-year tenure while some of the advance
payments were made without any prior approval of the board. Some of the payments had
remained outstanding for long period and were paid back in cash.
Similarly, the probing committee also reported about the poor
maintenance of minutes at the association with most of the decisions being approved by the
president and general-secretary. The committee has also found that Thapa had used
fraudulent bills to claim payments.
Nirala said that the association a separate account — in
US dollars — had been maintained to manage donations from the Asian Football
Confederation (AFC) and football’s world governing body FIFA. Those sports bodies did
not bother to disclose the donated sum, he said, adding that ANFA president Ganesh Thapa,
on the basis of the association’s controversial decision of August 9, 2000, had
obtained bank overdrafts and used them to make the advance payments.
However, the probing committee found no financial
irregularities in the construction of ANFA complex at Satdobato. According to Nirala, the
complex was built at the lower cost than the estimated amount of Rs 35.08 million and the
building cost of Rs 21.87 million was logical.
On the occasion, the member-secretary of NSC, Binod Shankar
Palikhe, said that the report will be forwarded to CIAA, the Ministry of Education and
Sports, and Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC) soon.
He also said that the release of the report has simplified
the process of ANFA election.
"The election will be held soon in accordance with the
draft legislation sent from AFC," he said.
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