Roshan Sedhai

In the aftermath of another bribery scandal, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has suspended Rajendra Bahadur Basnet, an investigation officer at the Department of Foreign Employment, who was caught on videotape negotiating a bribe amount with a client around two weeks ago.

“We have suspended Basnet for two months considering the severity of the case. We just want to make sure that he dœsn’t destroy the proof gathered against him by misusing his authority,” said Yuba Raj Subedi, the OAG spokesperson.

According to Subedi, the OAG has taken a number of decisions regarding the bribery case. It has formed a probe team under the leadership of Joint Attorney Binod Pokhrel and also sent a written request to the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority to conduct an independent probe into the case.

“We want to make sure that the case is handled fairly. There will be enough ground to punish him [Basnet] if he is found to be really guilty,” Subedi said. The video captured by the Campaign Against Corruption-Nepal shows Basnet in official uniform at Thimi Chowk in Bhaktapur with a ‘client’ associated with the campaign.

Although the video dœs not capture bribe being handed over as Basnet maneuvered the client into a dark alley, he is heard taking the name of Yograj Baral several times, claiming that Baral also needs some amount of the bribe. Baral is the DoFE director. Basnet, however, denied the allegations, claiming that he was framed. He argued that some people had insisted to meet with him and tried to hand over money which he refused.

Director Baral also claimed ignorance, saying he knew nothing about the bribery case. The Campaign Against Corruption is the same civil society group that filmed then labour minister Kumar Belbase asking for bribe a month ago.

Basnet was working at the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE) after he was sent there on temporary transfer five months ago. He had previously been working at the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control (DFTQC).

The DoFE sent him back to the DFTQC after the bribery case became public on Tuesday. A number of corruption scandals and bribery cases at the department have defamed it as one of the most corrupt governmental offices.

Since the office deals with over 1,500 service seekers on a daily basis, many government officers openly ask for petty bribes and perform illegal activities in close connection with brokers and middlemen.

Purna Chandra Bhattarai, director general at the DoFE, said a few such cases wouldn’t stop them from carrying out their own internal campaign for reform. He claimed that malpractices and bribery cases have decreased to a large extent in recent months.

Rajendra Bahadur Basnet, an investigation officer at the DoFE, was caught on videotape negotiating a bribe amount around two months ago.

Published on: 30 November 2012 | The Kathmandu Post