The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) on Wednesday took Bishow Raj Pandey, director general of the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE), into custody for his alleged involvement in corruption.

 

Pandey was detained a day after the CIAA picked up two DoFE officials from a restaurant in New Baneshwor. Kirti Ballav Poudel and Khadga Bahadur KC were caught red-handed while taking Rs 1 million at around 8pm on Tuesday. 

 

The two DoFE officials in their statements had mentioned Pandey’s involvement, which led to his arrest. Pandey was picked up from Mitrapark of Kathmandu, according to a press statement issued by the CIAA. Pandey, it is learnt, is set to retire next week. 

 

The anti-graft agency had arrested Poudel and KC following complaints that they were repeatedly asking money from a recruitment agency whose operations and bank accounts were blocked by the DoFE for its involvement in cheating migrant workers.    

 

However, the Supreme Court had ruled in favour of the recruitment agency, asking the DoFE to let it resume its operations. But Poudel and KC would not let the company conduct its daily operations on various pretexts, it is learnt. Pandey was arrested for his involvement in taking bribe from SRS Overseas Services Pvt Ltd, which was blacklisted last year by the DoFE. 

 

The company was blacklisted following complaints by migrant workers who were sent to Abu Dhabi as security guards on foreign employment. According to a DoFE official, the file related to the matter with the company was missing from the office. 

 

The CIAA has formed a team comprising three investigation officers to further investigate into the matter, said a CIAA source.