The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police has initiated an investigation into the financial irregularities at Miteri Saving and Credit Cooperative Limited, located in Mahalaxmisthan, Lalitpur, reportedly five years after the incident happened.

CIB began the probe following the emergence of Nepali Congress Vice President and former Law Minister Dhan Raj Gurung's name in the case. 

CIB spokesperson Hobindra Bogati said that the probe was based on complaints of fund misappropriation within the cooperative.  “We have started investigating its directors and employees.”

The financial discrepancies at Miteri Cooperative, established around two-and-a-half decades ago by former Gurkha Soldiers, reportedly occurred in 2019. 

After General Manager Jyoti Gurung left the cooperative around five years ago, it was discovered that Rs 125 million was embezzled. But the cooperative did not take any action for a long time.

Gurung, former wife of Dhan Raj Gurung, remains absconded till date.

It was only around one-and-a-half years ago that the cooperative formed a committee under the coordination of one of its directors, Surya Bahadur Thapa, to carry out an internal investigation.

The committee had submitted a report declaring Jyoti to be the main culprit.
The cooperative still did not seek a legal solution.

The chairman Kumbha Raj Gurung only lodged a complaint at the Office of the Company Registrar, Bagmati, a few weeks ago, after the case became widely known.

A complaint was not filed earlier, said Kumba Raj, because Dhan Raj had pledged to cover the embezzled fund. 

"When the MP himself promised, we believed him," Gurung said. “But, we were left with no other choice than filing a complaint after realising he was going to evade responsibility.”

Dhan Raj has refuted the allegations, claiming that the complaints against him were fabricated as part of a scheme to entrap him. He has claimed to have divorced Jyoti five years ago and emphasised that it was unrelated to the dispute over the cooperative funds.

After the name of a NC heavyweight leader involved in the cooperative irregularities, the parliamentary committee tasked with investigating the misappropriation of cooperative savings also interrogated Miteri Cooperative Chairman Kumbharaj Gurung. 

During the interrogation, Gurung claimed that Jyoti and Dhan Raj must be held accountable for the irregularities, claiming their divorce was fake and merely an act to avoid accountability.

Meanwhile, a Lalitpur-based cooperative-related activist told NBA on condition of anonymity that the authorities concerned did not take any action despite being well aware of the matter for years.