The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) dropped its investigation on the alleged involvement of Tsirangtoe MP Novin Darlami in a fake Rural Enterprise Development Corporation Ltd (REDCL) office in Tsirang.

The government established REDCL after closing the Business Opportunity and Information Centre (BOiC). REDCL continues to provide credit to people in rural areas through the Revolving Fund II of the Economic Stimulus Plan.

ACC commissioner Jamtsho said the case did not merit further investigation and cleared the MP of any wrong doing.

The commission sent an investigation team to Tsirang earlier this month after a complainant walked into the commission’s office to register the complaint.

MP Novin Darlami was alleged to have deputed a person to function as an REDCL official in Damphu. The person in-charge had allegedly informed applicants that the REDCL branch office in place of BOiC had been established in Tsirang and asked them to apply for loans. The office in Damphu had allegedly distributed loan application forms to the public of Tsirang and Dagana dzongkhags and collected Nu 300 as fees.

REDCL officials visited Tsirang to conduct an investigation between December 20 and 22. The investigation concluded that the complaints were baseless.

ACC’s findings matched mostly with the REDCL’s report.

A man called Tshewang was trying to establish a cooperative called the Integrated Farming and Food Processing Project (IFFPP). Few members distributed more than 300 forms and collected money in Tsirang and Dagana. The forms had not reached the dzongkhag administrations.

The office was basically inviting individuals as members of the IFFPP. The intention was to form the cooperative with as many members as possible and apply for funding assistance from REDCL.

The Nu 300 fee was levied as  membership fee of the cooperative. The investigation revealed that the form (distributed) was different from that of the REDCL fund application form.

The cooperative never operated as the branch office of REDCL, nor was the fee that was collected intended as fees for the REDCL application form, REDCL officials reported to ACC.

Tshering Palden