Chef Santosh Shah Clarifies Arrest and 'Mithila Thali' Dispute After Release

Kathmandu. BBC MasterChef contestant and popular Nepali chef Santosh Shah, after being released from custody, held a press conference to clarify his arrest and the dispute surrounding the 'Mithila Thali' restaurant.

He clarified at a press conference today that he has not committed any crime. According to Shah, the dispute arose concerning business transactions with Aarjav Holdings Pvt. Ltd. during the operation of the 'Mithila Thali' restaurant located in Gaushala, Kathmandu.

He informed that an agreement was made for 2 crore 25 lakh rupees to purchase all the assets of the 'Sila' restaurant, which was facing financial problems at the time, unable to pay bank loans, and was under pressure from the landlord to vacate the building, and to operate Mithila Thali there.

During the implementation of the agreement, Shah claims that Mithila Thali paid the remaining 40 lakh rupees of house rent and 2 lakh 77 thousand 997 rupees of electricity bills on behalf of Sila restaurant.

 He also informed at the press conference that installments for the loan taken by Aarjav Holdings from Nepal Bank were paid multiple times on behalf of Mithila Thali. 

Claim of Payment Through Banking System

Regarding the 25 lakh rupees that became a point of dispute, Shah presented details showing that a total of 28 lakh 25 thousand rupees had been paid in phases through the banking system. He claims that payments were made from Nabil Bank (17 lakh), Laxmi Sunrise Bank (6 lakh), and Nepal Bank Limited (5 lakh 25 thousand rupees).

He stated that although Shakuntala Thapa, who was presented as the representative of Aarjav Holdings, demanded the money in her personal account, contrary to the agreement, they sent the money to the institution's account. Shah mentioned that even though the payment process was nearing completion, the necessary bills and tax clearance certificates were not provided by Aarjav Holdings.

Dissatisfaction with the Arrest Process

Shah stated that he was arrested solely based on the issue of a 4 lakh 50 thousand rupee payment, as per the court's decision. He claimed that the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of the police made a hasty arrest in Janakpur while the legal period to appeal the District Court's decision to the High Court was still pending.

Clarifying that he was not absconding and had gone to the police office a week earlier to cooperate with the investigation, he expressed that this arrest, which could have been made through normal procedures, has damaged his reputation and honor.

Shah, who has been released from custody, clarified that legal and practical complexities arose during the expansion of 'Mithila Thali', which started in Janakpur with the objective of promoting the cuisine of the Mithila community, to Kathmandu, and that these would be resolved through legal struggle.

At the press conference, he stated that despite leaving lucrative opportunities in various countries to come to Nepal and do business, he faces legal hassles but will continue to work with high morale.  

He also urged the government to pay attention to creating an environment conducive to investment in Nepal, as minor issues can spoil it.