A preliminary report of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) on Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) land deals has concluded that there have been irregularities in the lands purchased by the state oil monopoly to build storage plants.

The anti-corruption constitutional body has started recording the statement of then NOC chief Gopal Khadka who has been now called to the Supply Ministry following the land purchase scandal. It is learnt that Khadka will be questioned on Wednesday as well. CIAA source said that they are preparing to record statements of NOC board members too.

“There was no doubt about the irregularities as around half-a-dozen of parliamentary committees have already submitted their reports confirming it,” said the CIAA source, “Therefore we too decided to look into the files in details as there are enough evidences of irregularity.”

The probe conducted by parliamentary committees had stated that there had been irregularity of a minimum of Rs 1.26 billion in the land purchased by the state-owned oil monopoly. It was proved that NOC purchased the land in a price higher than the market rate in Jhapa, Sarlahi, Chitwan and Rupandehi.

The NOC had bought the land at a cost of Rs 2.34 billion with the help of land brokers but it was found that half of that money was misappropriated.

“If the calculations are to be conducted on basis of the amount paid by the land brokers, a minimum of Rs 1.30 billion is found to be misappropriated,” said lawmaker Ananta Prasad Poudel, who is also a committee member that probed the NOC scandal. He added that if the calculations have to be conducted on the basis of amount received by farmers, the irregularity would reach more than Rs two billion.