Kathmandu, January 5

Sudan scam convict Shambhu Bharati, who had been lodged in Dillibazar prison since August 30, walked out of jail today after posting a bail of Rs 142 million.

The Supreme Court had, on December 12, granted leave to Bharati to file a review petition against his conviction in the Sudan scam. After getting out on bail, Bharati can contest his case without having to go to jail.

The SC had slapped Bharati with one-year imprisonment and a fine of Rs 142 million.

Joint Registrar of the SC Netra Prakash Acharya told THT that Bharati was allowed to post bail as he was granted leave from the apex court for filing a review petition against his conviction.

Acharya said a seven-judge full bench of the SC had also set a precedent whereby a litigant could post bail in higher tier of the court if he was allowed by a lower court to post bail earlier.

Acharya said that Bharati’s review petition was treated as an appeal and hence he was allowed to post a bail.

Former Attorney General Raman Kumar Shrestha also said that Bharati was allowed to post a bail as he was granted leave by the SC to file a review petition against his conviction. “A person who has been granted leave for filing review petition is allowed to post bail because his/her review petition is converted into an appeal,” he said and added that Bharati had posted bail also in the Special Court and the Supreme Court.

Earlier in July 2019, former inspector general of police Ramesh Chandra Thakuri, another convict in the Sudan scam, had filed a petition seeking leave for filing review petition against his conviction, but the SC refused to grant him leave for the same.

Bharati, an agent of Assured Risk Company, was found guilty of sending substandard consignments to Nepal Police team deployed in the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Sudan.

The scam involved embezzlement running into millions of rupees while procuring logistics for Nepal Police personnel deployed in Darfur, Sudan. During procurement of goods, Rs 284 million was misappropriated.

The scam also led to surrender of former inspectors general of Nepal Police Om Bikram Rana, Hem Bahadur Gurung and Ramesh Chandra Thakuri, who were sentenced to prison in

2017 by the Supreme Court for their involvement in the embezzlement of the procurement fund.  In February 2012, the Special Court had convicted the IGPs and Armed Personnel Carrier suppliers of corruption.