The District Court Kathmandu has issued an arrest warrant against former three ministers for their alleged involvement in the embezzlement of Lalita Niwas land case.
Following the Supreme Court order on Sunday, the district court issued the arrest warrants against former minister trio Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar, Dambar Shrestha and Chandra Dev Joshi. Similarly, the arrest warrant has also been issued against former state minister Sanjaya Kumar Sah.
With the Supreme Court order, former secretaries Chhabi Raj Pant, Dinesh Hari Adhikari, Narayan Gopal Malego and Deep Basnyat are likely to be drawn into this case.
A team of Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police has reached the district court and taken the arrest warrants for the aforesaid former ministers and secretaries.
Bhatbhateni Supermarket owner Min Bahadur Gurung, former chief of Inland Revenue Office, Dilli Bazaar, Dharma Prasad Gauram, have been arrested in connection with this case.
Former Chief Commissioner of the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority and former secretary Deep Basnyat is absconding.
The CIB has been investigating the land embezzlement case of Lalita Niwas in which 112 ropanis 4 anas and 1 paisa land were transferred in the name of various individuals.
Earlier, the anti-graft body had decided not to file a case against Dr Baburam Bhattarai, Madhav Kumar Nepal saying that this issue had been decided by the then Council of Ministers.
However, former Prime Minister Bhattarai and Nepal are also likely to be dragged into this case following the Supreme Court order that the investigation be carried out on those who were involved in the policy decisions on the land embezzlement case.
A joint bench of Justices Anil Kumar Sinha and Kumar Chundal had expressed dissatisfaction questioning over the impartiality of investigation stating that it targeted only lower-ranking employees.
Cabinet meetings held on April 11, 2010, May 14, 2010 and August 13, 2010 had made decisions on transferring 113 ropanis land in the name of individuals by establishing statutory tenants during the tenure of Nepal as the prime minister.
Similarly, a cabinet meeting held on October 4, 2012, had approved in principle to transfer the Lalita Niwas land in the name of individuals in the similar modus operandi during the tenure of Bhattarai as the Prime Minister.
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