• LAND GRAB SCAM
KATHMANDU, AUGUST 22
Central Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police, ending almost two months of investigation into the Lalita Niwas land grab scam, submitted its report to Kathmandu District Government Attorney's Office, indicting 238 people as defendants, including four former minister who had recommended transfer of government land to private ownership, to the government.
The CIB, however, gave clean chit to two former prime ministers Madhav Kumar Nepal and Baburam Bhattarai, whose Cabinet, through four meetings, had allowed the transfer of government land to private ownership. The CIB recommended the names of the two former PMs as witnesses of the crime, as per CIB Chief AIG Kiran Bajracharya.
"The written statement of the former prime ministers are presented as witness to the incidents," AIG Bajracharya told THT.
Police had, on August 20, recorded their statements following the order of the Supreme Court. The SC on August 6 had asked police to bring the higher ups (Cabinet decision makers) within the scope of their investigation. Clearly, the CIB had probed the former PMs so that they would not have to face the defamation of the court case.
Similarly, incumbent Communications Secretary Krishna Bahadur Raut and former chief secretary Lila Mani Poudyal who were once arrested in the case were also not indicted.
The CIB had acquired arrest warrants against more than 400 people in relation to the transfer of 143 ropani land to private ownership. However, only 238 have now been indicted. Police decided not to file case against 48 people who had 'unknowingly bought land' and later returned it to the government.
"But, people who bought land and worked as land mafia to transfer land ownership have been indicted. Similarly, such mafia and former government employees who played important role in the scam have been charged as masterminds of the case," Bajracharya said. The indicted have been charged with organised crime and forgery of government documents.
The indicted high profile people are former ministers Bijay Kumar Gachhadhar, Sanjay Shah, Chandra Dev Joshi and Dambar Shrestha. Similarly, Bhatbhateni Supermaket owner Min Bahadur Gurung and former secretary Sudhir Shah who are in judicial custody were also indicted. Currently, there are 18 persons in custody. Five persons, who were once arrested, have been released upon court orders.
This is the second time CIB has probed the scam. CIB had to reinvestigate the case after the Office of Kathmandu District Attorney, earlier on 2 January 2022 refused to file case against 400 accused people citing lack of investigation and evidences.
"We have followed utmost professionalism and remained unbiased during the two months long investigation. This time we are confident our hard work will be well received by the authorities," AIG Bajracharya said.
A version of this article appears in the print on August 23, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
