Kathmandu. KATHMANDU: The Special Court (SC) has summoned 8 persons including the suspended mayor of Bagmati Municipality Bharat Kumar Thapa for hearing on the corruption case.
A three-member bench of Justices Narayan Prasad Poudel, Umesh Koirala and Bidur Koirala will conduct the hearing on the case. The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has slapped a fine of Rs 56.71 crore each against Thapa, Deputy Mayor Leela Kumar Moktan and former minister Bijay Kumar.
Similarly, Bimal Kumar Pokharel, Sagar Poudel, Bishwa Raj Pokharel, Niranjan Lamichhane, Bijaya Kumar, Gokul Bhujel and Leela Kumari Muktan have been named as defendants. Mayor Thapa and others have been accused of constructing illegal structures including ponds in the name of construction of fish ponds and as per the existing Forest Act, 2049 BS and the prevailing Forest Act, 2076.
The anti-graft body had filed a corruption case against Thapa for embezzling more than Rs 567.1 million in the name of construction of Machhapokhari.
According to the commission, Bagmati Ward No. Millions of rupees have been embezzled in the name of construction of fish pond in the forest area of Sagarnath Forest Development Project which lies in Provinces 4 and 12 by encroaching upon its forest area.
It has also been alleged that the then Minister for Financial Affairs and Planning Bijaya Kumar had signed an MoU and provided Rs 300 million to the Madhes Province government for the construction of the pond.
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