The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) on Tuesday filed a corruption case at the Special Court against Binesh Munankarmi, manager at the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) accusing him of amassing illegal assets disproportionate to his lawful income.

He once headed the China-funded Pokhara International Airport project.

According to the charge sheet, the CIAA examined Munankarmi’s financial records from February 13, 1998, when he entered public service, to November 30, 2023, the date he submitted his latest asset declaration.

During this period, the anti-graft body calculated his total lawful income at Rs37.38 million, including salary savings, land and share sales, loans, dividends, insurance proceeds, allowances, bonuses, interest income and other verified sources.

However, the CIAA said Munankarmi’s verified expenditure during the same period stood at Rs62.415 million, covering land purchases, house construction, vehicle and gold purchases, insurance premiums, education fees, loan repayments, business investments, fixed deposits, cash holdings and bank balances.

This resulted in an unexplained excess expenditure of Rs25.03 million, which the commission has termed illegally acquired property.

The CIAA has sought recovery of the full amount, along with imprisonment, a fine equivalent to the claimed damage and confiscation of undisclosed assets under both the former and current Corruption Prevention Acts.

It has also accused Munankarmi of concealing real assets and submitting false details in mandatory asset declarations.

The charge sheet also names his wife, Purna Keshari Gosai, as a defendant for the purpose of confiscating properties allegedly purchased in her name using illicit income.

The case forms part of wider investigations into corruption linked to the Pokhara International Airport project, which has already seen cases filed against dozens of senior officials and former ministers.