Corruption Trials Kathmandu

Four major banking associations in Nepal called for a fair investigation into the detention of Nepal Investment Mega Bank CEO Jyoti Prakash Pandey, stressing adherence to legal procedures and financial sector stability.

The Nepali government formed a committee led by former Judge Achyut Prasad Bhandari to investigate allegations against former Home Minister Sudhan Gurung, with a report expected within 15 days.

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority filed a corruption case against Surkhet Valley Town Development Committee officials for embezzling NPR 29.4 million in revenue over five fiscal years by withholding deposits.

Jyoti Prakash Pandey, CEO of Nepal Investment Mega Bank, was arrested on charges of fraud and criminal breach of trust related to a fraudulent auction of Smart Telecom Pvt Ltd assets after the license cancellation.

Former minister Bikram Pandey was charged by the Central Investigation Bureau for hacking the Public Procurement Monitoring Office website and manipulating tender contracts, alongside an accomplice linked to cryptocurrency transactions.

Police Sub-Inspector Dinesh Raut was charged for accepting a Rs 20,000 bribe to facilitate a banking offense case in Kathmandu; he was caught red-handed by an anti-corruption commission team.

The Commission charged former finance minister Gyanendra Bahadur Karki and 12 others, including Chinese contractors, for graft involving Rs 3.62 billion in tax waivers during the Pokhara Regional International Airport construction project.

The Commission charged former finance minister Gyanendra Bahadur Karki and 13 others, including Chinese contractors, for graft involving Rs 3.62 billion in tax waivers during the Pokhara Regional International Airport construction project.

The Special Court extended the remand by 12 days for businessmen Deepak Bhatta and Sulav Agrawal amid ongoing investigations into money laundering and procurement irregularities linked to major companies.

The government expanded the commission's mandate to investigate offshore assets of senior officials accused of corruption, though tracing and recovering these assets remains legally and diplomatically challenging, with some accused fugitives still abroad.

The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority filed a corruption case against the principal and accountant of Shree Himalaya Secondary School for embezzling about 9.3 million rupees through fake bills during school building construction.

Madan Kumar Gupta, former Bara Land Revenue officer, was convicted in six of seven corruption cases for embezzling government revenue using fake receipts and accumulating 190 million rupees. The Supreme Court scheduled a joint bench hearing on his cases.

A complaint was filed with the anti-corruption commission alleging that Nepal Oil Corporation caused losses of crores by favoring traders and manipulating daily oil distribution before a price hike. Investigations and action were demanded due to internal information leaks and alleged corruption.

The Special Court began hearing a corruption case against former Security Printing Center chief Bikal Paudel, accused of embezzling over 621 million rupees and hiding assets abroad. Authorities recovered 445.2 million rupees; 176.6 million remain hidden.

Captain Rajesh Kushwaha was caught smuggling 18 tolas of gold but was released after a brief detention and verbal apology, with no formal investigation. Allegations of nepotism and cover-up involve Nepal Airlines’ leadership.

Customs officials who uncovered a gold smuggling scandal at Tribhuvan International Airport are now facing corruption charges filed by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority. The smuggling involved 9 kg of gold concealed in vapes, with estimated losses around 60 million rupees.