Two among the four witnesses, who were members of the dzongkhag tender committee for renovation of Lhakhang Karpo, submitted conflicting statement to the Anti-Corruption Commission and the Haa District Court. This was revealed yesterday, during an evidence hearing of the ongoing Lhakhang Karpo case.
The two, Work Supervisor, Lhab Dorji and Project Manager, Wangchuk Tshering submitted to the court that they were not aware of the tender committee’s decision to retender.
However, in their statement to ACC, they had acknowledged that they had decided to retender the work.
The other two, Project Engineer, Tashi Gyeltshen and District Engineer, Lhabchu submitted to the court the then Haa Dzongda, who is the current Foreign Minister, Rinzin Dorje had made an official remark for the work to be retendered.
Tashi Gyeltshen, one of the witnesses, who is also party to the Lhakhang Karpo case said, although he knew about the dzongda’s officials remark, he did not inform the rest of the committee members since LD sawmill had already appealed to the dzongda for a negotiation on the rates.
Prosecutors from the Office of the Attorney General said that this was uncalled for since he was obliged to officially inform the rest of the committee members about the dzongda’s remark on retendering.
The prosecutor said since the rest of the committee members were not informed, the procedure to retender had been compromised.
While the OAG requested the court to go by the statement, the four witnesses provided to the Anti-Corruption Commission, Haa Drangpon, Duba Drukpa said the court would go by the evidences that are available. The Drangpon said the court should not just rely on their statement to ACC.
Regarding the other charge against the foreign minister, on the use of dzongkhag DCM truck to transport timber from Haa to Thimphu, Lyonpo Rinzin Dorje produced a circular from the finance ministry as evidence to the court.
According to the circular on the use of government pool vehicle, a civil servant is allowed to use government vehicle under “pressing and emergency need.”
The minister said it was used under pressing need since vehicles were scarce in Haa and he could not find other vehicle to transport his materials.
The court will have another evidence hearing on April 20 after which it will be closed and the verdicts passed.
