Dec 11, Kathmandu - A corruption case has been filed against six people, including Joint Secretary to the Government of Nepal Tirtha Raj Bhattarai and Branch Officer Yagya Aryal, in the visit visa smuggling case.

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) filed a case in a special court on Thursday, making Bhattarai and Aryal, among six people, defendants.

The CIAA had investigated them on charges of extorting money from Nepali passengers going abroad on visit visas. Joint Secretary Bhattarai was arrested from the airport on the 7th Jestha of 2082. He was also the head of the airport immigration at the time.

The CIAA has claimed a compensation of around Rs 7.9 million against Joint Secretary Bhattarai and Rs 5 million against Aryal. According to CIAA sources, the other four people who have been charged are those who worked as middlemen in the visa-smuggling.

The practice of extorting money from Nepalese going abroad on visit visas by immigration officers at Tribhuvan International Airport has been ongoing for a long time. Based on the police investigation, on 10 Magh 2080, the District Government Attorney's Office, Kathmandu, filed a case against 22 people, including 9 airport immigration officers, on charges of organized crime and forgery. However, a year later, on 14 Mangsir 2081, the Kathmandu District Court found only the middleman and the travel agency operator guilty.