KATHMANDU, Sep 1: It has been revealed that Laxman Gautam, currently serving as the Officiating Director of the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), has submitted a fake document during his recruitment.
According to the regulations outlined in sub-rule (3) of Nepal Tourism Board, 2064 BS, specifically pertaining to criteria for managerial-level positions, candidates are required to hold a master's degree from a government-recognized university or educational institution in Nepal and have a minimum of five years of relevant work experience in an authorized-level role.
It has been revealed that Gautam purportedly submitted counterfeit documents from Kanchan Travels and Tours Pvt Ltd. In the year 2064 BS, NTB had issued a job advertisement for a managerial position, and Gautam submitted a letter of experience claiming to have worked as a correspondent at Kanchan Travels and Tours Pvt Ltd in Kathmandu from January 2, 1997, to January 20, 2002. Intriguingly, the fabricated documents implied that Gautam had been associated with the company from its inception.
NTB sources disclosed that Gautam failed to provide an appointment letter along with his application, as required by the law when applying for any public position through open selection. Consequently, scrutiny of Gautam's experience certificate submitted to the board revealed that the document from Kanchan Travels and Tours Pvt Ltd was bogus.
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It appears that Gautam misrepresented his employment history by claiming to have worked for the company even before its establishment, fabricating the experience certificate. Notably, Kanchan Tours and Travels was officially registered on September 6, 2000, under the joint names of Narayan Prasad Sapkota, Prem Prasad Kandel, and Shri Prasad Bastakoti at the Company Registrar's Office.
Complaints regarding Gautam's alleged use of fraudulent documents to secure his job were also filed with the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) and the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation. However, it has been suggested that Gautam retained his position through influence despite these complaints.
An official from the Ministry of Tourism revealed, "Records indicate that he submitted a forged experience letter, claiming to have worked for the company before it was even established. No action has been taken due to pressure from higher authorities."
The official further stated that Gautam is likely to be dismissed from his position as soon as records are obtained from the Company Registrar's Office. "His experience is invalid because he submitted a counterfeit document, asserting that he worked when the company was not yet registered," the official explained. "A thorough investigation would confirm the fraudulent nature of the document submitted by Gautam."
Meanwhile, Gautam, the individual implicated in this controversy, has claimed that he served as an employee of Kanchan Travels and Tours Pvt. Ltd. He asserted, "I worked as an employee. I didn't inquire about the company's registration."
Gautam maintained that he submitted the experience letter from the company he worked for. When questioned about how he worked for a company that was not registered, Gautam responded, "When I started working, there was no concern about whether the company was registered or not. I didn't create the certificate myself; it was provided to me by the company."
At the time of his appointment, Gautam initially presented his experience as that of a correspondent. However, when doubts arose regarding whether a correspondent's role was equivalent to that of an officer, Gautam allegedly produced another document, claiming that the correspondent's position was equivalent to that of an 'officer.' This reinterpretation allowed him to submit the experience certificate to NTB.
Gautam's alleged use of political influence to secure his advisory position during the tenure of former Tourism Minister Rabindra Adhikari and Yogesh Bhattarai has raised further questions about the authenticity of his appointment.
