Former Prime Ministers Madhav Kumar Nepal and Dr Baburam Bhattarai Provide Statements to CIB in Lalita Niwas Case

The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of the police has progressed in the embezzlement case related to Lalita Niwas in Baluwatar, where it took statements from former Prime Ministers Madhav Kumar Nepal and Dr Baburam Bhattarai.

In a significant development, the CIB team visited the residences of Madhav Kumar Nepal, a leader of the ruling CPN (US), and Nepal Samajwadi Party President Dr Baburam Bhattarai on Sunday to gather their statements.

CIB Spokesperson, Superintendent of Police (SP) Nabaraj Adhikari, confirmed that they have successfully collected statements from both former Prime Ministers.

“The statements have been obtained from the former Prime Ministers Nepal and Bhattarai. The process of obtaining statements has already been completed,” stated the SP official.

The Lalita Niwas case revolves around allegations of organized crime and celebrity involvement in a land transfer scandal. The CIB’s move to obtain statements from Nepal and Bhattarai comes after criticisms were raised regarding the conclusion of the investigation without their statements.

Insider sources suggest that the CIB is set to submit a report to the district attorney’s office on Monday, detailing the progress of their investigations.

The Supreme Court had previously ordered an inquiry into the involvement of the Prime Minister, who had participated in the decision-making process to transfer government-owned land to individuals. This directive was issued on July 21.

Amidst concerns of judicial activism, the CIB faced pressure from top ruling coalition leaders following their dissatisfaction expressed during a coalition meeting last Monday.

Madhav Kumar Nepal had held the Prime Ministerial position during the times when the Council of Ministers made decisions on April 11, 2010, May 14, 2010, and August 13, 2010, to transfer portions of Lalita Niwas land to private names.

Intriguingly, the decision-making process involved the establishment of counterfeit ownership titles on 113 ropani of Lalita Niwas land multiple times.

Another instance occurred on October 4, 2012, when the Council of Ministers decided to transfer land registered under the name of Samarjung Company, belonging to the Ministry of Home Affairs, to Pashupati Tikincha Guthi.

This particular decision involved the then Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai and the then Chief Secretary Leela Mani Paudel.

Leela Mani Paudel had already provided his statement to the CIB on August 13 and was subsequently released following his interrogation.