Nepal Police’s Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) arrested eight people, including former Dairy Development Corporation (DDC) general manager Sanjiv Jha, in Kathmandu on Friday over alleged financial irregularities at the state-owned corporation. The bureau said preliminary investigations found that Jha and other senior officials caused the DDC losses of more than Rs 121 million and received illegal benefits. They have been detained on charges of criminal breach of trust and organised crime, CIB information officer and Deputy Superintendent of Police Yogendra Kumar Khadka said.
CIB cites losses of more than Rs 121 million
The arrests follow an investigation into alleged financial misconduct at the DDC, a state-owned corporation. According to the CIB, its preliminary findings point to losses exceeding Rs 121 million. The bureau has also alleged that the former general manager and high-level officials obtained benefits unlawfully in connection with the irregularities.
The CIB has not, in the information provided about the arrests, set out the specific transactions or decisions behind the alleged loss. Nor has it publicly detailed how the amount was calculated. The figure of more than Rs 121 million is the bureau’s preliminary assessment, rather than a final determination by a court.
The case centres on alleged conduct by people who held senior positions at the corporation. Jha is the most prominent person identified among the eight arrested. The CIB has not named the other seven detainees in the information provided, and the charges and allegations against each individual have not been separately described.
Arrests and charges
Khadka said the eight were held on charges of criminal breach of trust and organised crime. The arrests took place in Kathmandu on Friday. The CIB has linked the charges to its preliminary findings concerning the alleged financial loss and illegal benefits at the DDC.
An arrest and a charge are not a finding of guilt. The allegations remain subject to investigation and the legal process, and the CIB’s preliminary conclusions may be examined further as the case proceeds. The information released so far does not provide details about court proceedings, bail decisions or the next scheduled steps in the case.
The scale of the alleged loss, together with the involvement of a former general manager and other senior officials, places the case among significant investigations into financial irregularities at a public corporation. The CIB’s account indicates that investigators are examining both the impact on the DDC and whether officials received benefits unlawfully. Further details about the alleged acts, the roles of the arrested individuals and the evidence supporting the charges have not been made public in the information available.
