Documents released by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) said that “the public servants involved in the project, knowingly and maliciously, increased the cost estimate” of the China-backed Pokhara airport project.

The CIAA said the 55 individuals involved had inflated cost estimates by around $75 million, taking the approved cost of the project from $169 million to $244 million.

Those named include a former finance minister, four former heads of the ministry overseeing civil aviation, and 10 former civil service secretaries.

Nepal is set to hold on March 5 its first elections since the wave of youth-led protests unseated the government.

The protests erupted on September 8 after a government ban on social media, but then morphed into nationwide fury over economic hardship and growing anger over corruption.

At least 76 people were killed in two days of violence.

The World Bank says a “staggering” 82 percent of Nepal’s workforce is in informal employment, with GDP per capita at just $1,447 in 2024.

More than half of the country’s population of 30 million are under 30, and jobs for the young are hard to find.

Before the uprising, Nepal was ranked 107 out of 180 on Transparency International’s corruption perceptions index.

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