Kathmandu, April 27

The commission formed to investigate usury complaints issued a notice today calling on victims to lodge complaints with evidence against loan sharks within the next 15 days.

Chair of the Commission Gauri Bahadur Karki issued a press release asking usury victims to lodge complaints directly or through their respective district administration offices. The victims can upload details on the commission's website or lodge complaints through the DAOs where government employees will help them fill up details on the forms. The government has set up a cell in all DAOs to help usury victims.

Commission Chair Karki told THT they would set up office in Janakpurdham from April 30. The commission has asked loan shark victims to give details such as the amount of loan taken, principal and interests they paid to the unscrupulous lender, and details of land property that they have transferred to the lenders to get loans from them.

Karki said commission members would visit different places to get details of victims' cases and also encourage reconciliation between the two sides. 'Our first effort will be to create a winwin situation. If any lender refuses to reconcile, we will tell them the consequences they may face when the complaints are entered for legal remedies,' Karki added. He said the commission expected complaints mainly from 36 districts, mostly Tarai districts. 'But we have asked all districts to report complaints against loan sharks. We have received report from some Himalayan districts that there are no usury victims,' he added.

A few days ago, Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha had told mediapersons that the commission formed to probe complaints against loan sharks would be different as the government would implement the recommendations of the commission.

The government had formed a three-member commission on April 3 after usury victims gathered in Kathmandu to protest against loan sharks. Usury victims have said they have already paid the loan, hence their loans should be waived.

Deputy Attorney General Padam Prasad Pandey told THT that the draft of anti-usury bill had already been okayed by the bills committee of the government and it was likely to be passed by the Council of Ministers soon. He said the government had consulted the Office of the Attorney General and OAG had suggested to incorporate provisions whereby lenders cannot impose interest exceeding the existing rate, and they cannot get the land property of the borrower registered in their names.

Spokesperson for the OAG Sanjeeb Raj Regmi said that under the existing laws, loan shark victims had remedy under anti-fraud laws. Government attorneys have filed 10 to 15 cases in Saptari, Siraha, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi and Nawalparasi and these cases are sub judice in the lower courts. He said one of the accused had been sent to judicial custody in one case, and the accused had moved the Supreme Court against the lower court's decision to send him to judicial custody, but the Supreme Court also endorsed the lower court's order.

A version of this article appears in the print on April 28, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.