VZCZCXRO2480
PP RUEHCI
DE RUEHKT #1153/01 3560821
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 220821Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1182
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 7246
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0143
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 2931
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 6724
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 3399
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0191
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA 4885
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RULSDMK/DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI//J2X/J2C/J2D/J2I//

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 001153 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/21/2019 
TAGS: EAIR ETRD PREL PTEP NP
SUBJECT: NEPAL'S FINANCE CHIEF 'COMMITTED' TO JET DEAL 
TRANSPARENCY -- SOMEWHAT 
 
REF: A. KATHMANDU 1046 
     ¶B. KATHMANDU 979 
     ¶C. KATHMANDU 529 
     ¶D. KATHMANDU 431 
     ¶E. KATHMANDU 202 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires a.i. Randy W. Berry Reasons 1.4 (b/d) 
 
Summary 
-------- 
¶1. (SBU)  Finance Minister Surendra Pandey says he is 
"completely committed" to making sure the Nepal Airlines 
Corporation's  (NAC's) decision to purchase aircraft from 
Airbus, instead of Boeing, was fully transparent before 
determining whether the government should provide the loan 
guarantee the national airline needs to complete the 
purchase.  Pandey expressed his commitment to transparency 
during a December 17 meeting with the Charge, but it appears 
to be limited to ensuring that no illegal payments were 
involved.  The meeting occurred three days after a government 
watchdog agency harshly criticized the NAC for flouting 
public procurement laws. 
 
Minister Underscores Commitment to Transparency 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
¶2. (SBU)  During a December 17 meeting with the Charge, 
Finance Minister Pandey said he is "completely committed" to 
ensuring the NAC's decision to purchase two aircraft -- one 
wide-body jet and one narrow-body jet -- from Airbus was made 
in a fully transparent manner.  He expressed his commitment 
to transparency several times after the Charge raised 
concerns about whether the NAC Board of Directors had been 
fully informed about the details of the competing bids before 
choosing the European aircraft manufacturer over Boeing. 
Pandey did not respond to these concerns, and instead focused 
on rumors illegal payments may have influenced the decision. 
 
¶3. (C)  Pandey noted he recently met with several European 
Union ambassadors and asked them to provide assurances that 
no independent agent has been involved in the USD 137-million 
deal.  Minutes of the December 8 meeting sent to Emboff, 
apparently by mistake, indicate Pandey is concerned about 
reports that a local agent "received money without real 
services or added-value work" and this "extra money could be 
a way of giving bribes to decision-makers." 
 
¶4. (SBU)  The NAC has signed a memorandum of understanding 
(MOU) with Airbus and provided USD 750,000 to lock in the 
deal, but the purchase cannot be finalized until the 
government provides a loan guarantee demanded by the 
Employees' Provident Fund, which was agreed to provide 
financing to the NAC.  The Ministry of Finance must submit 
its recommendation before the full Cabinet votes on the loan 
guarantee.  Pandey assured the Charge his Ministry will not 
makes its recommendation until he is satisfied the NAC has 
acted transparently. 
 
Government Watchdog Criticizes NAC's Decision 
--------------------------------------------- 
¶5. (U)  On December 14, the Public Procurement Monitoring 
Office  (PPMO) harshly criticized the NAC for flouting the 
procurement laws governing public entities.  The government's 
watchdog said its ongoing investigation showed the NAC's bid 
evaluation procedures were "ambiguous" and failed to adjust 
the bidding prices for fuel consumption, repairs, 
maintenance, and other costs over the life cycle of the 
aircraft.  Boeing has argued that, while the initial cost of 
its narrow-body aircraft is higher, the NAC would actually 
save money because it is a newer generation aircraft that is 
more fuel efficient and requires less maintenance. 
 
¶6. (U)  Boeing declined to bid on the wide-body plane because 
it believed it would be financially imprudent for the NAC to 
purchase one.  PPMO officials said the NAC's decision to 
purchase a wide-body plane violated public procurement law 
because it was made on the basis of a single bid.  They have 
asked the NAC to provide additional information needed to 
complete their probe. 
 
Media Intensifies Scrutiny of Deal 
 
KATHMANDU 00001153  002 OF 002 
 
 
---------------------------------- 
¶7. (C)  In mid-November, Post provided a background briefing 
on the deal to a senior economic reporter with Kantipur 
Publications, which publishes the largest Nepali-language 
newspaper and an English-language sister publication.  On 
November 18, the day after the NAC and Airbus announced their 
MOU, both newspapers ran front-page articles detailing the 
controversy surrounding the purchase.  Since then, the 
reporter has written several follow-up pieces.  The signing 
of the MOU and provision of lock-in money sparked both the 
print and electronic media to take a more aggressive approach 
in reporting on the deal, with prominent play being given to 
every new development. 
BERRY