PM, PRACHANDA AGREE ON DELAYED GOVT. EXPANSION

PM, PRACHANDA AGREE TO EXPANS GOVT.IN A DAY OR TWO

Kathmandu, 4 April: Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal at a meeting Monday
agreed to a delayed expansion of government in a ‘day or two’, an aide of the government chief said after the meeting.
The two chiefs of their parties also briefed each other on the outcome of
Sunday’s standing committees of their parties.
Khanal is also chairman of UML.
The two leaders decided to hold discussions with leaders if other parties to
expand the base of the government which is dominated by the two communist
parties; MJFN is the only other party has opted to join the Khanal government.
has to continue.
Maoist standing committee Sunday authorized party headquarters to select remaining members of its government team.
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PREMIER KHANAL TO SELECT REMAINING MEMBERS OF ITS GOVT. TEAM

Kathmandu, 4 April: Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal was authorized Sunday
night by UML standing committee to select other members of its government after consultations leaders.
The standing couldn’t a finalize a list after leaders, including Khanal,
Madhav Kumar Nepal and KP Oli proposed names of their supporters,
“Many names were proposed for ministers. The chairman was empowered to
finalize names after consultations with leaders,” Secretary Yubaraj Geywali said.
But the committee decided a three-day central committee to discuss current issues from 27 April.
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UML TO EXPAND HEAD OFFFICE AT BALKHU

Kathmandu, 4 April: The foundation stone of another office of the UML
head office at Balkhu will be laid 17 May.
Three more ropanis of land have been acquired.
Deputy Prime Minister Bharat Mohan Adhikari is overseeing its construction.
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WORKERS RETURNNG FROM LIBYA PROTEST

Kathmandu, 4 April: Workers who were evacuated from the troubled state of
Libya at government and manpower company expense Sunday staged a protest in the capital.
They demanded pay for remaining months after being sent to the north African state
for two years.
The demanded exchange facility for the Libyan dinar and expenses to live in the
Capital.
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NC IN FIX WITH DISPUTES IN AFFILIATED BODIES



Kathmandu, 4 April: Although the resignation of Nepal Student Union President Pradeep Paudel yesterday will facilitate the NSU general convention, the Nepali Congress has yet another challenge — resolving the dispute in the party’s youth wing Nepal Tarun Dal (NTD), The Himalayan Times reports..

Dual leadership in both the party’s sister wings have led to disputes since the merger of the two Congresses in 2007.

During the merger, the two Congresses had shared leadership in the organisations by recognising the Paudel-led NSU from the NC and the Mahendra Yadav-led NTD from NC (Democratic).

However, both organisations have had to face numerous problems with the rival factions in the sister organisations claiming their share of power in running the respective bodies, rendering them unable to hold fresh convention.

According to sources, the party establishment is in a mood to form ad-hoc committees to hold the convention of both organisations. “Paudel’s resignation has cleared the way for forming the ad-hoc committee; and we expect to either convince NTD president Yadav to resign or bring the two rival NTD factions together to hold its general convention,” said NC Central Working Committee member Krishna Chandra Nepali.

However, Sher Bahadur Deuba-led faction is pleading for fresh convention of both organisations without dissolving central bodies.

The party’s CWC meeting on Tuesday will resolve the NSU and NTD issues, said party sources.

Unlike, Paudel’s step, Yadav, who is also a Constituent Assembly member and CWC member, said he would never follow Paudel’s path.

“I don’t have anything to say if the CWC majority decides to dissolve the NTD central body. However, I will never resign like NSU president Paudel. The NTD has decided to hold its fresh convention by Mid-June,” said Yadav.

His rival and NTD co-president Binod Kayastha, who belongs to party president Sushil Koirala’s panel, said, “As Yadav is running the organisation unilaterally without consulting all the sides, he won’t be able to hold the general convention in a free and fair manner. So, dissolution of the present body is imperative,” said Kayastha.

Following the rift between the two factions led by Yadav and Kayastha, the NC youth wing is carrying out activities separately. The Yadav-led panel recently held regional meet in Chitwan and Pokhara and has plans to do the same in the remaining three regions. Kayastha’s panel has held meets in Tanahun and Kathmandu and has to do the same in the remaining 12 zones.
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NRB QUESTIONS WITHDRAWAL BY US BANK
Kathmandu, 4 April:: The central bank considers the case of a US bank withdrawing $1 million from its account can be indication that money deposited in American banks is not safe, The Himalayan Times reports.

“If the central bank does not get its money back that has been unjustly withdrawn from its account, it will prove that American banks are not to be trusted upon,” said an official of Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) referring to an American court’s decision to debit $1 million from NRB’s account of Standard Chartered Bank’s New York branch on the petition of Ashim Khatri Chhetri seeking recovery of his $1 million that was frozen in Nepal by the authorities on the suspicion of money laundering — that is a serious case internationally too.

The official expressed that if any bank can access and withdraw the money kept in American banks without even informing the account holder that means the money is not safe over there.

“The American court’s jurisdiction ends with its own borders, Nepal and its central bank do not fall under its domain so how can it give permission to take their money out,” commented the official.

The officials at NRB are hopeful that this will backfire on the launderers themselves. The international law regarding anti-money laundering are quite strict thus if proven to be engaged in such activities the sender and recipient of that money can be convicted as per the law. “This is undoubtedly a case of money laundering as there is no evidence of any supplies were brought in. Thus, if money enters the financial channels that is not backed up by strong evidence of the source or origin then that is an obvious case of laundering as in this case,” said the official.

NRB is seeking diplomatic channels through government to retrieve the money that has been withdrawn unrightfully.

The central bank has filed a case in the US District Court of New York, to revoke its earlier decision and retrieve their money debited by Chase Bank.

On the suspicion of money laundering, NRB and Department of Revenue Investigation (DRI) had stopped the payment of $1 million sent to Chinese national Wu Lixian in his account at Nepal Bangladesh Bank (NBB) by Ashim Khatri Chhetri from USA, in 2008. According to Chhetri, the money was sent as the payment to Lixian for supplying logistics to Nepal Army and Nepal Police. However, as Lixian failed to produce documents substantiating that physical transaction was undertaken, DRI filed a case against him at the Special Court, Kathmandu, on the charge of money laundering. The case is still pending in the court.

Apparently Chhetri filed a case at a court in New York in order to recover his money and the court gave the verdict in his favour due to absence of response from Nepali authorities.

Based on the court’s verdict, Chase Bank that had transferred the money to NBB’s account in July 2008 deducted $1 million from an NRB account at a Standard Chartered Bank branch in New York.
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