The District Court, Kathmandu, has granted permission to detain the then Joint Secretary Karki, who signed the lease agreement on behalf of the trust.
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The police have received permission to detain former Joint Secretary Lekh Bahadur Karki, who was arrested for investigation into the decision to lease land of Nepal Trust to Thamserku Trekking Pvt. Ltd. The District Court, Kathmandu, has granted permission to detain the then Joint Secretary Karki, who signed the lease agreement on behalf of the trust.
“During this period, we will take his statement and conduct a detailed investigation into the background of the agreement and the role of other people,” said an officer of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CIB). The bureau had arrested Karki and started an investigation into the crime of fraud and criminal breach of trust after finding evidence of collusion in the lease agreement.
Meanwhile, the then Home Minister Bimalendra Nidhi has claimed that no meeting was held in his presence on any agenda of the Nepal Trust. “I would like to clarify that no meeting was held in my presence on any agenda of the Nepal Trust during my tenure as Home Minister from 20 Shrawan 2073 to 17 Jestha 2074,” he said in a statement. “No file from the trust had even reached my desk, so there was no reference to my written order or signature. I did not give any instructions to any office bearer, member or employee as the Home Minister or the chairman of the trust.’
Thamserku Trekking has also issued a statement claiming that Rs 6 billion was not offered for land lease. ‘When 30 annas of land can be purchased in the Durbar Marg area even today for Rs 6 billion, can anyone agree to pay Rs 6 billion for using 30 annas of land?’ Thamserku chairman Lhakpa Sonam Sherpa has questioned.
The statement further states, ‘If we calculate based on this, the rent for the land alone would be more than Rs 1,500 per square foot per month. Is this the prevailing rent rate in today’s situation?’
Sherpa has also claimed that plot no. 4605 was not used illegally as alleged by the CIB. ‘The company has constructed a building only on plot no. 4606 and plot no. No structure has been constructed in 4605, the road remains as before,' the statement said.
'There is no truth in the fact that the lease amount is 6 billion, as it has been circulated. This issue, which was allegedly pointed out by the Auditor General's office, has been investigated by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority and has been resolved according to the decision of the commission on 28 Magh 2075, and we would like to appeal that a case has been filed in the Patan High Court on this matter and justice has been served,' the statement said.
According to the CIB, Thamserku had initially submitted a proposal of 6.26 billion rupees to lease 1 ropani 14 aanas of land in front of Narayanhiti Durbar. However, on 24 Falgun 2073, it wrote another letter stating that it had not offered such a large amount. Later, an agreement was reached for 1.40 billion rupees as per Thamserku's proposal.
