CIB of opinion to making 4 former Ministers including Bijay Gachchhadar defendants

KATHMANDU, Aug 22: The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) is of the opinion to make the four former Ministers including the former Deputy Prime Minister Bijay Kumar Gachchhadar as defendants in the Lalita Niwas case. CIB has concluded that former Ministers are involved in the land embezzlement of the land inside the Lalita Niwas camp in Baluwatar.

CIB has opined to make the then Physical Planning and Construction Minister Gachchhadar, State Minister Sanjay Shah ‘Takala’, and former Land Reform Ministers Chandra Dev Joshi and Dambar Shrestha defendants.

According to the law, the government attorney’s office files a charge sheet in the court based on the investigation report with the opinion given by the police.

CIB has taken the testimony of 3 people whom it has been opined to make defendants except for Dambar Shrestha. On Monday evening, Gachchhadar and Joshi were released by the police after taking their testimony. The Police did not arrest the four former ministers despite obtaining arrest warrants.

The CIB has opined not to make the former Prime Ministers Madhav Kumar Nepal and Dr. Baburam Bhattarai defendants in the land embezzlement case. It has been mentioned in the investigation report submitted to the Government Attorney by the CIB that it is not necessary to make the two former Prime Ministers defendants.

The investigation officers of the CIB went to the former Prime Ministers' houses on Monday and made testimony papers. The police have also recommended not to make the former Chief Secretary Lilamani Paudyal a defendant.