The Anti-Corruption Commission’s Annual Report 2024–2025 reveals that law enforcement agencies are becoming increasingly vulnerable to corruption. The report says frontline officials, those responsible for policing, revenue collection, immigration, and public safety, are now implicated in a rising number of cases. This includes the recent monument fee scandal where police personnel, along with other on-duty played a central role in siphoning and embezzling Nu 5.65 M.
The scheme involved police personnel, ticket counter officials, Desuups, and hundreds of tourist guides.
The investigation found the scheme widespread at Taktshang, Kyichu Monastery, and Punakha Dzong. According to the report, this reveals systemic weaknesses in tourism revenue management.
At Taktshang alone, 33 police personnel, two ticket counter officials, two Desuups, and 249 tourist guides embezzled Nu. 4.6 M.
At Kyichu Monastery, the report implicates two ticketing staff, 27 police personnel, 128 tourist guides, and one Desuup for misappropriating over Nu 600,000.
Meanwhile, at Punakha Dzong, four police personnel, two ticket counter officials, and 40 tourist guides collaborated to siphon more than Nu 300,000.
Investigators identified two main methods, both requiring close coordination between guides and police at the entry gates.
Police retained unused tickets, often from personal guests. These were handed to ticket counter officials and resold to new visitors, with no record of the second sale. The proceeds were then shared among them.
Guides collected the entry fee directly from tourists but never bought tickets. Police allowed them inside without recording their entry, taking half of the amount collected.
Beyond the immediate financial loss, the report warns that the scandal exposes deeper structural issues in tourism governance, misuse of Sustainable Development Fees, deceptive itineraries, inflated pricing, and multi-layered commissions.
Furthermore, a proactive system study on Bhutan’s tourism sector highlighted major vulnerabilities, including bribery and favouritism in licensing, risks of SDF and tax evasion, weak monitoring and enforcement, and a lack of system integration among the Department of Immigration, the Department of Tourism, and the Department of Revenue and Customs.
The commission forwarded the case to the Office of the Attorney General for prosecution in March. As of June, the case was still under review at the OAG.
Tashi Dekar
Edited by Tandin Phuntsho
