MP Basnet, who has been absconding for a year in the case of cooperative fraud in East Nawalparasi, was released on Wednesday after paying a bond of 1.5 million.
What you should know
Geeta Basnet, a proportional member of parliament from the National Democratic Party (RPP), has been released after paying a bond of 2.5 million in the case of fraud of the savings of the Sunrise Savings and Loan Cooperative Society, which has its jurisdiction within the Bharatpur Metropolitan Municipality.
MP Basnet, who was absent when the case was filed last October, appeared in the Chitwan District Court on Thursday. Court information officer Amrit Bishwakarma informed that after the statement and custody debate, he was released on bail by the order of District Judge Jayanti Awasthi Bhatt. A case was filed in the Chitwan District Court against 21 people, including MP Basnet, on charges of misappropriation of more than 90 million rupees by Sunrise Cooperative.
The cooperative was registered on August 11, 2066 with an office in the then Bharatpur Municipality-12. Later, Nagendra Bahadur Rimal of Bardiya Gulria-5 was the chairman and the cooperative was started. After Rimal became the president, the cooperative was operating since 2073 with an office in Bharatpur Metropolitan City-3 Lionschowk. The organization also opened service centers at two other places, Chanauli and Bharatpur Bikas Chowk. Basnet, a resident of Bardiya Gulria Municipality-7, is the mother-in-law of President Rimal. During the
statement, Rimal revealed that he also bought land in the name of his mother-in-law Basnet with the money of the cooperative.
In the indictment of the fraud case filed in the Chitwan District Court, Basnet has demanded that 25 percent of the 15 crore rupees spent on Bardia's Krishnasar Resort by taking money from Sunrise Cooperative.
Similarly, it is mentioned in the indictment that MP Basnet and seven other people bought land in Chitwan worth 8 million rupees from the savings of the cooperative. "It is confirmed that defendant Gita Basnet and Sarita Gautam defrauded the share members and savers of Sunrise by embezzling the savings of Sunrise Savings and Loan Cooperative and purchasing land in connivance with defendant Dhundiraj Gautam," the indictment states.
Police investigation has shown that MP Basnet invested the money of Chitwan's cooperative in Krishnasar Resort, which he also owns, and also purchased land. After the filing of the case, on November 4th, during the detention hearing, the court ordered the detention of the 4 persons who were present at that time. At that time, Nagendra Bahadur Rimal, Yogendra Pandey, Krishna Prasad Gyawali and Dhundiraj Gautam, who were ordered to be sent to prison by the Chitwan District Court, were arrested and filed a case by the police in the case of cheating the savings of a cooperative society in Nawalparasi (East of Bardghat Susta) Kawasoti. In the same case of Nawalparasi, they were detained in Bharatpur jail for preliminary investigation.
As mentioned in the indictment, it seems that Rs 900 million 67 lakh 81 thousand rupees of 22 thousand 464 savers located at Lions Chowk and service centers of the cooperative at Parvatipur, Chanauli and Bikas Chowk should be returned. But there are only 1,610 savers who complained. Parliamentarian Basnet, who has been on the run for a year in the case of Chhiharpe cooperative society, was released from the court on Wednesday after paying a bond of 1.5 million.
