The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) on Wednesday filed a corruption case at the Special Court against seven individuals, including former ministers Rajkumar Gupta of the CPN-UML and Ranjita Shrestha of Nagarik Unmukti Party, in connection with the Litchi Bagan land scam in Pokhara.

The anti-graft agency has sought to recover Rs7.8 million from each of the six accused, and Rs2.5 million from middleman Khem Pun. The other defendants include former Kaski Land Revenue Office chief Ramchandra Adhikari, intermediaries Sujan Lama and Yam Kumari Gurung, and Tulsi Ram Budha Magar.

The case was revealed after an audio recording was leaked in July, allegedly capturing conversations involving the former ministers and middlemen in a bribery deal to manipulate land ownership records of 134 ropanis of land at Batulechaur, Pokhara, known as the ‘Litchi Bagan’ plot.

Following the audio’s release, Gupta had resigned from his ministerial post amid growing controversy.

Issuing a press release on Wednesday, the antigraft body said that a supplementary investigation is still under way against another former minister and UML leader, Balram Adhikari.