A corruption case has been filed against the Chairman of CPN (Unified Socialist) and former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal.
On Thursday, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) filed the case in the Special Court, accusing Chairman Nepal of irregularities in the Patanjali land exchange case.
According to Special Court spokesperson Yagya Raj Regmi, a corruption case has been filed against the former Prime Minister with a claim of Rs. 185.85 million (18 crore 58 lakh 50 thousand) in damages.
This is the first time in Nepal’s history that a corruption case has been registered against a former Prime Minister. During Nepal’s tenure as Prime Minister, Patanjali Yogpeeth had acquired land under land ceiling exemption for the purpose of cultivating medicinal herbs and constructing an Ayurvedic hospital. The CIAA began an investigation after discovering that land obtained under ceiling exemption by a cabinet decision was later sold, again with cabinet approval.
In this case, the CIAA has filed a corruption case against 94 individuals, including former Prime Minister Nepal, in the Special Court on Thursday. The then Cabinet, under Prime Minister Nepal, had approved the land ceiling exemption for Patanjali on Magh 18, 2066 BS (January 31, 2010). Later, the Cabinet meeting on Chaitra 6, 2066 BS (March 20, 2010) gave approval to sell the land.
Speaking to journalists in Rautahat about the case, Chairman Nepal claimed that he is innocent. He stated, “Someone might have left loopholes. I wasn’t aware of them. I never imagined something like this would happen with an institution like Patanjali.”
