The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) on Wednesday arrested nine government employees, including Director at the Department of Foreign Employment, Chiranjivi Adhikari, for sending over 100 migrant workers to Gulf countries by approving fake documents.

CIAA spokesperson Shreedhar Sapkota said DoFE Director Adhikari, section officers Kumar Prasad Pokharel, Gambhir Singh Bista, Lavaraj Regmi, non-gazatted officer Bhim Bahadur Basnet and Laxmi Prasad Dhungana, among others had been arrested after a preliminary investigation found their involvement in approving fake documents to send 172 workers to labour destinations in the Gulf.

They were subsequently taken into the CIAA custody for further investigation.

DoFE employees were reported to have issued work permits illegally to 172 migrant workers and tried to cover it up by hiding the related files. The migrant workers, who received the unlawful permits, were bound for Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, and were being handled by two recruiting agencies.

The DoFE officials, including the director, are suspected to have issued individual visas under the names of organisations by matching the company and profession with the pre-work approval details furnished by the two manpower agencies, department sources said.

The officials are alleged to have taken Rs 50,000 per worker in bribe from Aalamdevi Associates and KITS Employment Service for issuing the work permits to the workers on Jan 12 and Jan 17 respectively.

The case, currently being probed by the CIAA, is likely to implicate around 100 individuals, including DoFE staff, immigration officers, duty officers at the Tribhuvan International Airport labour desk and owners of recruiting agencies.

More than 100 workers in question are reported to have already left the country for their labour destinations.

Under the existing laws, migrant workers are allowed to travel abroad through personal channels only if the visa is referred to them by their blood relations.

However, many recruiting agencies have been unlawfully giving organisational legitimacy to personal visas by bribing DoFE officials.

The CIAA is preparing to arrest more officials from the DoFE and the Department of Immigration in this connection.

Published on: 20 March 2014 | The Kathmandu Post