January 7: The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police has completed its investigation related to Baluwatar-based Lalita Niwas land scam and submitted its report to the district attorney’s office. 

The District Attorney’s Office, Kathmandu is preparing to file charge-sheets against the accused on the basis of the report prepared by the CIB.

The CIB report found that more than 350 individuals were involved in financial embezzlement in the land transaction, informed CIB Spokesperson Shyam Kumar Mahato.

He said that some names have been repeated because the report includes four separate cases. According to him, it took two years to complete the investigation.    

The report has implicated 360 persons including some high-profile individuals in the land scam. Those implicated by the report also include five former government secretaries. The CIB report has demanded action against those accused in the land scam in accordance to Section 2976 of the Criminal Code 2074 and also submitted recommendations to the district attorney’s office.

Sources at the District Attorney’s Office, Kathmandu said that the office has started verification of the report on Thursday itself and will file case as soon as the process is completed. The limitation of the case is of two years. Therefore, the case must be filed before January 11.   

The reports shows that land mafia were involved in illegally transferring the ownership of the 143 ropanis of land of Lalita niwas between 2049BS to 2069BS byu bribing government officials.    

The government had formed a probe committee in 2075 BS under the leadership of former secretary Sharada Prasad Trital to investigate into the embezzlement case. Based upon the report prepared by the committee, the then government in the same year had instructed the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) and the CIB to conduct investigations and take action against those involved in the scam.

The CIAA has already filed a case against 175 individuals involved in the Lalita Niwas land scam after a year-long investigation.