KATHMANDU: The Kathmandu District Court (KDC) arrested a person, whom it claims to be the biggest fine defaulter, in the capital on Wednesday.

According to Chitra Bahadur KC, chief, Verdict Execution Section of the KDC, a special police team arrested Rajesh Shrestha and subsequently sent him to Metropolitan Police Circle, Hanumandhoka.

Shrestha, a shareholder of the R B Complex, was fined Rs 16,751,443 and sentenced to one-year jail term convicting him under the Foreign Exchange Act, 1963.

A division bench of Judges Ali Akabar Mikarani and Keshar Man Pati upheld the verdict. "He is the biggest fine defaulter so far among those arrested," KC added.

In the recent days, the KDC has become more active in its bid to execute verdicts which have remained problematic for many years.

After Shrestha did not submit the fine, the KDC converted his punishment into a five-year jail sentence. He was arrested on the charge of sending US $ 213,000, Euro 110 and Japanese Yen 50,000 to Hong Kong through his assistant Dirgha Bahadur Thapa.

The district court had sentenced Shrestha on May 19, 2005 while

the Patan Appellate Court upheld the verdict on December 15 of the same year.

According to a source in the Supreme Court, Shrestha had moved the apex court seeking the revision of the verdict. But the case is pending.

When asked, Shrestha maintained that he was not bound to cough up the sum as he was not

the sort of person against whom

the lower court could award the sentence.