KATHMANDU, MARCH 20
The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police has written to Speaker Devraj Ghimire informing him that it is investigating Nepali Congress lawmaker Binod Chaudhary in connection with the Bansbari Leather and Shoe factory land grab case.
Spokesperson for the Parliament Secretariat Ekram Giri told THT that CIB write to Speaker Ghimire informing him that lawmaker Chaudhary was being probed in Bansbari land grab case. Giri said that he did not have the knowledge of Nepal Police informing the Speaker of an ongoing investigation against a lawmaker in the past but he did not mean the police erred by informing the Speaker.
CIB Chief AIG Shyam Lal Gyanwali told THT that his office informed the Speaker to avoid any allegation of breach of the privilege of the Parliament.
We informed the house so that if the detectives investing Bansbari land grab case deems it necessary to summon lawmaker Chaudhary and record his statement no question of breach of parliamentary privilege could be raised and no question of Chaudhary being detained could be raised, Gyanwali added.
Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane has directed the Nepal Police to record the statements of all involved in illegal transfer of Bansbari Leather Shoe Factory land into private ownership, including lawmaker Chaudhary and proceed with the investigation. Chaudhary is Nepal's first and only billionaire listed in the Forbes Magazine.
On February 1, Nepal Police had arrested Binod Chaudhary's younger brother industrialist Arun Chaudhary, chairman and managing director of CG Holding, on charge of transferring around 10 ropanis (approximately 5,500 sq ft) land area of government-owned Bansbari Leather and Shoe Factory into private property.
CIB had also arrested Ajit Narayan Singh Thapa, the then executive head of the BLSF, and Sanjay Thakur, chairman of the steering committee of BLSF along with Arun Chaudhary.
All three arrestee was later released on court date by Kathmandu District Court.
The BLSF, a state-owned factory was established with the support of the Chinese Government in 1960s. The factory had done good business in the first year in less than two years into operation, the factory started seeing dramatic fall in its business. The authorities at the helm of the factory started showing that the business was not benefitting and decided to sell the 10 ropanis land to fulfill the loss. A government document, as made public by ukaalo.com shows that the seven ropanis of the BLSF land was sold at the price of Rs 150,000 by the decision of the BLSF steering committee on 29 August, 1989. The price was very less than the actual market price. The land was sold to another private leather shoe manufacturer called Champions Footwear.
Moreover, the government factory never received the money, instead, it was given a share of Champion Footwear. The shareholders of Champion Footwear were Binod Chaudhary and Arun Kumar Chaudhary among many others mostly belonging to the Chaudhary clan. Later three more ropanis of BLSF was transferred to Champions Footwear in exchange for the share. The Champion Footwear was shut after three years of its operation. After the closure of the Champion Footwear, the 10 ropanis land was transferred to private ownership of Chandbag Residence owned by Arun Chaudhary and his wife Shila.
