RUBEL CHAUDHARY ARREATS AT DISTRICT OFFICE IN CHITWAN

SON-IN-LAW OF SUJATA DEPOSES FOR FIRST TIME IN
COURT (UPDATE)
Kathmandu, 22 March:: Bangladeshi national Rubel Chowdhury desposed before the Chitwan district administration office for the first time
recording his statement Tuesday.
Paras Shah was also present.
Chaudhary said he didn’t know who fired at Chitwan Tiger Tops in December but admitted he had an altercation with Shah,
He first charged Shah for firing at him.
Next hearing has been set for 27April.
Nnnn
ANOTHER UML EFFORT TO DRAW NC INTO GOVT.
Kathmandu, 22 March: Government Spokeman and Education Minister Gangalal Tuladhar said Tuesday in west Nepal a secret and controversial 7-point agreement between UML and Maoists can be expanded to include NC in government.
He said the 7-point agreement can be expanded to a 12-point deal to saify NC which has rejected it already.
nnnn

SC VERDICT ON CHRISTIAN BURIAL AT PASHUPATI 6 APRIL

Kathmandu, 22 March: Supreme court will give its final verdict on demand by Christians to bury their dead at Sleshnamtak forest in premises of Pashutinath temple, Nepal’s holist holy shrine, 6 April.
Justice Balaram KC Monday summoned defendants and petitioners to court for discussions.
An order of the Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) to stop burial by non-Hindus at the forest was challenged in a public interest litigation.
The apex court ordered continued burial by non-Hindus until a final verdict.
Nnnn

ABDUCTED BOY RESCUED

Kathmandu, 22 March: Ayush Sah, 5, was rescued by a special police team from a town across the border in Bihar, India, with the help of Indian counterparts Monday,
Sah was abducted 21 February from Rajbiraj 21 February for ransom.
Two persons have been arrested.
It wasn’t known if the ransom demand was paid.
Nnnn

OPPORTUNITY FOR NEPALIS IN SAUDI ARABIA ILLEGALLY TO RETURN HOME

Kathmandu, 22 March: There’s an opportunity for Nepalis illegally in Saudi Arabia to return home, Kantipur reports.
Nearly 100,000 Neplis can return with the consent of Saudis.
‘The immigration office here will allow the return with consest of
Saudis,” said Deputy Chief of the Nepali embassy Paras Ghimere.
‘The embassy has started issuing travel documents after receiving receipts of identification card of the Saudi national, citizenship of the Nepali and copy of the passport,” Ghimere said.
nnnn

NEPALIS IN MALAYSIA TO RECEIVE PAYMENT ACCORDING TO AGREEMENT

Kathmandu, 22 March: Nearly 338 Nepali workers with Alliance Rubber Production Compaay in Penang will receive monthly payment according to agreement from April, Kantipur reports.
Nepali embassy was the mediator after complaints lodged by workers.
nnnn

NEPAL TELECOM ANNOUNCES 40 PERCENT DIVIDEND

Kathmandu, 22 March: Nepal Telecom announced a 40 percent dividend for shareholders Monday.
The finance ministry has to approve the dividend announced by the board.
nnnn





GORKHA BREWERY TO FUND SOCCER LEAGUE MATCHES


Kathmandu, 22 March: Gorkha Brewery, manufacturer of two popular beer brands under franchise, will give All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) Rs 30 million to promote the soccer.
An agreement was signed between the company and ANFA Monday—the biggest corporate sector investment in sports.
The money will fund district, zonal and national league matches.

Nnnn

TWO NATIONAL SOCCER PLAYERS SUSPENDED

Kathmandu, 22 March: National soccer players Anil Ojha and Shiva Shrestha were suspended for indiscipline by All Nepal Football Association ((ANFA) Monday as they were attending a closed camp.
Thy were at a camp preparing for the AFC Challenge Cup tournament.
They were involved in a brawl at a hotel in Pokhara.
nnnn

SUPREME COURT RESURRECTS CORRUPTION CASES AGANST HIGH PROFILE POLITICIANS,OFFICIALS

Kathmandu, 22 March: Coming up with the conclusion that a Special Court verdict acquiting former government secretary Chakra Bandhu Aryal of corruption charges was a serious mistake and blatant violation of established legal norms, the Supreme Court (SC) has ordered reopening of the corruption case, Bimal Gautam writes in Republica.

A division bench of SC Justices Balaram KC and Abadesh Kumar Yadav said the Special Court had distorted the facts while deciding to nullify the corruption case filed against Aryal by the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA).

The Special Court had nullified the case filed against Aryal, former ministers and dozens of former officials, citing statute of limitations.
The SC said the CIAA filed the case invoking provisions of the Corruption Control Act-2017 BS but the Special Court cited the CIAA Act-2048 BS to nullify the case.

"It has been found that the Special Court nullified corruption case without going into its merits. The court also distorted facts as claimed by the CIAA. This is a serious mistake by the court. The case must be reopened," the SC order says, adding, "The bench hereby orders the authorities to present Aryal before the SC for further hearings in the case."

SC said the Special Court misinterpreted the charge sheet filed by the CIAA and in doing so went beyond and against the spirit of legal provisions.

The SC has also raised serious questions about the competence of the then Special Court judges. "Judges of the Special Court are found to have ignored to verify evidence in the corruption case from their end, although such verification is a must under existing law. This is not an ordinary mistake," states the order, adding, "The Special Court´s verdict will reduce people´s faith in an independent judiciary. Thus the verdict has to be taken seriously."

The SC further said that serious mistakes committed by the then Special Court judges must be studied from the Chief Justice level, given the gravity of the mistakes.

"The Chief Justice is also chairman of the Judicial Council [the body authorized to appoint or punish judges]. Making the judicial administration an effective mechanism has become an urgent issue at present. Thus, the authorities are asked to provide a copy of this order to the Chief Justice also," the order further states.

An order issued by a division bench of the SC will affect other cases pending at the apex court. The CIAA had filed an application at the SC seeking review of Special Court decisions after the latter either nullified corruption cases against former ministers and officials or acquitted them.

As per the provision of the Corruption Control Act-2017, the CIAA is required to file corruption cases at the Special Court within two years of beginning investigations into a given case. The CIAA Act-2048 BS states that the anti-graft body has to file case at the Special Court within a year of starting such investigations.

Despite the fact that the CIAA filed cases against the former ministers and officials as per the Corruption Control Act-2017 BS, the Special Court cited the CIAA Act-2048 and nullified a number of corruption cases filed by the national anti-graft body including the one against Aryal.

Corruption cases filed against former ministers Khum Bahadur Khadka, Govinda Raj Joshi and Jaya Prakash Prasad Gupta, three former police chiefs and some other former high ranking government officials were nullified by the Special Court on the ground that the CIAA had filed the cases two years after their retirement.

Cases relating to possession of property disproportionate to known sources of income and involving dozens of former ministers and officials were filed at the Special Court under the Corruption Control Act 2017 BS.
Nnnn


BELGIUM MAY STOP ISSUING IDs to NEPALI OFFICIALS

Kathmandu, 22 March: Belgium may stop issuing diplomatic cards to Nepali officials, Naya Patika reports.
The extreme step was taken after Nepali officials failed to return documents even after they returned home after completing assignments.
In the latest communication, Belgium has written to the foreign ministry, Deputy Chief of Mission Ambika Luitel hasn’t returned such a document.
nnnn