Kathmandu, Dec. 12 -- The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority on Thursday filed corruption charges against then Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) chief immigration officer Tirtha Raj Bhattarai and six other individuals, plus two companies, at the Special Court, while continuing its investigation against then-home minister Ramesh Lekhak for his alleged involvement in a visit-visa bribery racket.

In its charge sheet, the constitutional anti-graft body has accused Bhattarai of deliberately setting up a system to send Nepali travellers abroad on visit visas in return for bribes, during his tenure from October 9, 2024 to May 16, 2025.

Bhattarai, in collusion with then immigration officer Yagyaraj Aryal, chair of Greenline ...