The officials said they cannot reimburse the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) with the Rs 16 million claimed by the latter as the treatment costs of the octogenarian leader as the expenses claims lack receipts. [break]
"As per the existing law, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is required to furnish the receipts of the expenses to claim the reimbursement. If we release the reimbursement without first getting the receipts, it will be an abuse of authority subject to punishment," explained a senior official at the ministry about their difficulty in settling the Singapore treatment bills of Koirala.
Koirala had received treatment at the Gleneagles Hospital, a 380-bed private tertiary acute care hospital in Singapore, from November 14-22, 2009.
In a recent letter, MoFA has stated that the expenses were incurred in three headings: air ambulance charge (Rs 7,367,000 or 139,000 Singapore dollar), treatment expenses (Rs 7,420,000 or 140,000 Singapore dollar) and travel expenses.
Back in November 2009, media had reported lavish lifestyle of Koirala´s daughter and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sujata Koirala in Singapore where she accompanied her father.
Government officials say they have smelt rat over MoFA not sending the receipts of the expenses and have linked it with the alleged lavish lifestyle of DPM Sujata Koirala in Singapore.
Government officials say they have smelt rat over MoFA not sending the receipts of the expenses and have linked it with the alleged lavish lifestyle of Sujata in Singapore.
The cabinet had decided to bear the expenses incurred in Koirala´s treatment.
"The government can reimburse the expenses that have receipts. Had the cabinet decided to give financial assistance to Koirala for treatment, we would not have needed the receipts to release the amount," said another official at the Finance Ministry.
In the past, the cabinet had taken a similar decision bear the treatment costs of Nepali Congress Acting President Sushil Koirala in USA. He had furnished all receipts of the treatment to the Ministry of Finance to claim the reimbursement. Similarly, former Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai has been claiming reimbursement of treatment costs only after presenting the receipts.
When asked about why MoFA did not send the receipts, MoFA Spokesperson Durga Prasad Bhattarai said, "The receipts of the expenses, in the first instance, should have already been sent to the Finance Ministry and if they have not been, they might be in the process of reaching there."
kiran@myrepublica.com
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