The Special Court on Friday recorded statements of Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) Director General Pradeep Adhikari and former director Murari Bhandari, accused of corruption in the construction of a helipad in Nalinchok, Bhaktapur.

The detention hearing has been postponed to Sunday, according to the court’s officials.

The detention hearing was scheduled before the bench of judges Narayan Prasad Paudel, Hemanta Rawal, and Bidur Koirala. Although the detention hearing was supposed to follow immediately after the statements, it was postponed because one judge recused himself, Deputy Registrar Mukund Niraula said.

Special Court Chairman Paudel recused himself from the hearing as he was one of the judges who issued a verdict in another case against Adhikari.

The next hearing for the helipad corruption case is scheduled for Sunday.

On Wednesday, the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) arrested Adhikari and Bhandari and filed a corruption case against six individuals. Both were arrested at the CIAA office.

According to the CIAA, the case seeks to recover Rs135.74 million from the accused and impose an equal amount in fines.

Adhikari also faces charges over alleged irregularities in several other projects, including the authority’s office building in Sinamangal, the regional international airports in Pokhara and Bhairahawa, and the procurement of airport operations-related technology in Pokhara.

Earlier complaints to the CIAA had claimed the Nalinchok helipad was built on 32 ropani of CAAN land without an environmental impact assessment, raising concerns about lapses in procedural compliance and the project’s necessity. The helipad was inaugurated on June 21, 2024, by then tourism minister Hit Bahadur Tamang and Adhikari.