KATHMANDU: The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed a corruption case against former Minister for Law and Justice Prem Bahadur Singh, claiming a financial loss of Rs 185.85 million to the state in the controversial Patanjali land deal.
The CIAA on Thursday submitted the case to the Special Court, naming Singh — who served as law minister in the Madhav Kumar Nepal-led government — as a co-defendant alongside the former prime minister.
Both are accused of misusing authority to facilitate a land deal that benefited Indian-backed Patanjali Ayurved Ltd., operating in Nepal as Patanjali Yogpeeth and Ayurved Company.
Also named in the case is Santosh Shrestha, son of the late Dambar Shrestha, who was land reform minister at the time of the decision. Since Dambar Shrestha is deceased, his son has been included for the purpose of recovering damages in accordance with Nepali legal provisions.
According to CIAA spokesperson Rajendra Kumar Paudel, the agency has demanded jail time, fines, and full recovery of the embezzled amount from all the defendants.
Singh, who later joined the CPN-UML on March 22, 2022, had previously led the Socialist People’s Party. After merging his party and its affiliate organizations into the UML, Singh became part of Nepal’s mainstream political structure once again.
The case includes a total of 93 individuals, making it one of the largest corruption filings against high-ranking political figures, including a sitting lawmaker and a former prime minister.
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