DHANGADI, DECEMBER 30

Kailali District Court has found former Bank of Kathmandu Dhangadi branch manager Deepak Khanal guilty in a two-and-a-halfyear-old forgery and bank fraud case.

A single bench of district Judge Babukaji Baniyan delivered its verdict, convicting the former branch manager in a case filed against some Land Revenue Office staff and landowners, accusing them of committing bank fraud by forging signatures and official stamps. All the defendents, including Dorje Lama, Prabha Tamang, Dhan Bahadur Tamang, Kamal Bahadur Tamang, Prakash Panta, Khem Bahadur Bista, Bhoj Bahadur Thapa, Hari Prasad Joshi, Ram Bahadur Kunwar, Mahesh Joshi, Dipak Kunwar, Bujhauna Chaudhary and Prakash Bhatta, have been given clean chits.

As for Dipak Khadka, also implicated in the case, the court has decided to put his case on hold. His case will proceed when he is present.

As per the court’s verdict, Khanal will have to spend five years in prison and will have to pay a fine of around Rs 22.4 million.

Two years ago, Khanal had filed a fraud case against the land revenue officials, land owners and other people. Khadka had procured a loan of Rs 22.4 million from BoK Dhangadi branch by mortgaging land that had already been mortgaged in some other bank. After Khadka went out of contact, Khanal had filed a case against the landowners and other people.