Hearing Continues in Illegal Property Acquisition Case Against Mayor Thapa

Kathmandu – The hearing in the illegal property acquisition case against Bharat Kumar Thapa, Mayor of Bagmati Municipality, continued on Monday at the Special Court. The bench comprising Chief Judge Teknarayan Kunwar, Judge Shri Muraribabu Shrestha, and Judge Vidur Koirala presided over the proceedings. The case against Mayor Thapa has been under continuous hearing since Ashad 12 (June 25) under the "to be continued" status.

Details of the Corruption Case

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) filed a corruption case against Thapa on Chaitra 27, 2080 (April 9, 2024), accusing him of illegally acquiring property worth NPR 5.33 crore. Investigations revealed that Thapa invested the allegedly embezzled funds in purchasing land, establishing companies, and cooperatives.

Thapa was elected as the Mayor of Bagmati Municipality in the local elections of 2074 (2017) and re-elected in 2079 (2022). The CIAA claims that after assuming public office, Thapa amassed movable and immovable assets through undisclosed sources. The anti-graft body has also demanded the confiscation of these properties.

Family Members Named as Co-Accused

The CIAA has also implicated Thapa’s wife, Reshmikumar Ghimire (Thapa), his brother Ram Kumar, and sister-in-law Dwarika Raut in the case, alleging that they were used to manage illegally acquired assets. According to the charge sheet, Thapa, while holding public office, registered companies and properties under the names of family members to conceal corruption proceeds.

Suspicious Financial Transactions

The investigation found that Thapa and his family engaged in financial transactions worth NPR 13.20 crore, but only NPR 7.86 crore could be traced to legitimate sources. The remaining NPR 5.33 crore, with no clear source, has been deemed illegal.

Key suspicious transactions include:

• Thapa’s sister-in-law Dwarika taking a loan of NPR 20.92 lakh from Manokamana Multipurpose Cooperative on Ashad 32, 2075 (July 15, 2018), with no clear repayment source.

• Thapa and his mother, Krishnamaya Thapa, repaying cooperative loans of NPR 16.14 lakh and NPR 17.09 lakh, respectively, without verifiable income sources.

• Thapa’s brother Ram Kumar purchasing 10 katthas of land in Rautahat for NPR 52.25 lakh without a traceable fund source.

Conclusion of the Investigation

Out of 10 financial transactions examined, partial sources were found for NPR 1.75 crore, while the remaining NPR 5.33 crore remains unexplained. The CIAA has demanded the recovery of this amount, marking one of the major corruption cases against a sitting local government official.

The case continues as the Special Court examines the evidence before delivering its verdict.