Kathmandu, September 10    

A report on Unity Life International scam prepared by a three-member panel led by Ram Mani Duwadi, then deputy director general of the Department of Revenue Investigation, in 2010 has been found erroneous in the case of Bishwo Nath Gautam, an alleged promoter director of the networking company.

Gautam of Terhathum district was among the eight persons, who were identified by the panel as promoter directors. The panel filed a fraud case against them at Lalitpur District Court on May 23, 2010. The court convicted and sentenced them to three years in jail along with a fine of Rs 10.6 million each.

On November 3, 2010, the Office of the Company Registrar filed a case at the Commercial Bench of Patan Appellate Court, stating that the panel had breached its jurisdiction in filing the case. Gautam’s name was not mentioned in the case filed by the OCR.

Dipa, Gautam’s wife, recently wrote to the Office of the Prime Minister along with documents claiming that injustice had been done to her husband as he was not a promoter director, but just an employee of the ULI.

In response, the OPMCM directed the Ministry of Home Affairs to take necessary action on the request for ‘withdrawing the case against Gautam’ under the Government Cases Act, 1992.

The MoHA asked the OCR to confirm if Gautam was a promoter director of the ULI. In reply, the OCR told the MoHA that Gautam was not a promoter director of the ULI.

On May 13, the MoHA sought the opinion of the Office of the Attorney General if it was appropriate to withdraw the case against Gautam.

In a reply sent to MoHA on June 5, Rajendra Subedi, deputy attorney general, said, “As there were more than one defendants in the ULI case, it is not permissible to withdraw the charge against Gautam alone.”

Various reports suggest that Gautam was also put in the same basket due to lack of adequate information.