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Kathmandu: In a major development concerning Nepal Airlines Corporation's (NAC) wide-body aircraft procurement case, Deepak Sharma, who served as the President of International Supply Chain at AAR Corp, has admitted to bribing Nepali officials. Sharma, who holds British citizenship and is of Nepali origin, made this confession in the United States under the Foreign Corruption Practice Act.
The case involves a substantial aircraft deal worth NPR 24 billion for two wide-body aircraft. According to international media reports, Sharma admitted to facilitating bribes totaling USD 2.5 million (approximately NPR 337.5 million) between May and August 2018. The transaction was structured through a complex arrangement where the aircraft were purchased from Airbus through Hi Fly X, an Ireland-based company, involving a consortium of AAR Corp (USA), German Aviation Capital, and Hi Fly Aero (Portugal).
The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has taken significant legal action, filing corruption charges against 32 individuals on April 4, 2024. The list of defendants includes several high-profile figures: former Tourism Minister Jeevan Bahadur Shahi, former Secretaries Shishir Kumar Dhungana and Shankar Adhikari, and former NAC CEO Sugat Ratna Kansakar. The total alleged financial damage to the state has been calculated at NPR 1.47 billion.
The case has drawn international attention, with AAR Corp self-reporting potential violations to multiple authorities, including the US Department of Justice, Securities and Exchange Commission, and the UK's Serious Fraud Office. According to Sharma's confession, the bribes were channeled through a sophisticated network involving fake documentation and transactions routed through the United States, Ireland, and the United Arab Emirates.
Currently, the case is under hearing at Nepal's Special Court, with a bench led by Chief Judge Tek Narayan Kunwar presiding over the proceedings. This admission by Sharma marks a significant turning point in the investigation of one of Nepal's most controversial aviation procurement cases.
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