KATHMANDU: The Special Court has ordered the release of former Minister for Land Management, Cooperatives, and Poverty Alleviation Ranjita Shrestha on a bail of Rs 500,000 in connection with a bribery case involving the alleged seizure of land in the Lichibari orchard in Pokhara.
The case involves a bribe transaction through intermediaries to transfer the Lichibari land to an individual’s name, with a total penalty of Rs 7.8 million. The Special Court bench, chaired by Judge Sudarsan Dev Bhatt with members Hemant Rawal and Dilliratan Shrestha, approved the bail.
The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) had investigated Shrestha following links to intermediaries attempting to seize the Lichibari land. The commission also filed cases against former Federal Affairs and General Administration Minister Rajkumar Gupta and Shrestha.
The case surfaced after audio recordings revealed bribes paid for personnel transfers and appointments, prompting then Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli to demand the resignation of Minister Gupta, a UML leader.
Others implicated include former Pokhara land officials Ram Chandra Adhikari, Sujan Kumar Tamang of Hemja, Yam Kumari Gurung of Syangja, Tulsi Ram Budha Magar of Rolpa, and Khem Bahadur Pun of Kaski.
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