The Minister for Land Management, Cooperatives, and Poverty Alleviation (MoLCPA), Balram Adhikari, is implicated in a Rs 3.2 million bribery scam, according to a recently released audio recording.  According to the tape, which is purportedly connected to a land registration issue, Minister Adhikari was paid to help register a Pokhara land parcel in a person's name.

The recording mentions several other figures allegedly involved in the deal. These include the then Minister for Federal Affairs and General Administration (MoFAGA), Rajkumar Gupta; the former Secretary of the same ministry, Arjun Pokharel; and Minister Adhikari’s son, Manoj Adhikari.

The audio's contents indicate that Minister Adhikari's son was the one who gave him the Rs 3.2 million money. It also accuses former Minister Gupta of taking Rs 3.5 million and former Secretary Pokharel of accepting Rs 500,000. The total sum allegedly involved in the entire land-related transaction amounts to Rs 15 million.

This latest revelation comes after an earlier audio leak—which previously led to Minister Gupta’s resignation—had also mentioned Adhikari's name, citing conversations between Gupta and a middleman. At the time, Adhikari had denied any wrongdoing in a statement delivered during a session of the House of Representatives.

The audio reportedly details a conspiracy to illegally transfer the ownership of 135 ropanis of land in Pokhara into private hands. High-level corruption in government land dealings is under increased investigation after former Minister Gupta resigned from office on Tuesday due to the growing allegations.