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| In the dock: UML Constituent Assembly member Dol Bahadur Karki being taken away after an appearance in the Special Court on Tuesday. Karki was arrested by a special team of the CIAA on Monday night in connection with a bribery case. |
The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority on Tuesday afternoon presented CPN-UML lawmaker Dol Bahadur Karki and his associate Swami 1008 Brahmananda Udashin in the Special Court seeking permission to keep them in judicial custody. Karki and Udashin were rounded up on Monday evening for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs. 100,000 from a youth by assuring him a place in the Nepal Police as an Inspector. Chairman of the Special Court, Gauri Bahadur Karki and judges Om Prakash Mishra and Kedar Prasad Chalise grilled the duo. A visibly nervous Karki pleaded innocence and said his own party men were behind the “drama.” “I have been framed for my close rapport with UML leader Bam Dev Gautam—who is considered a hardliner in the UML—and his clear stance against federalism,” Karki told the court. Investigators, however, have it that Karki was the mastermind of the bribery racket. He duped people when Gautam was the Minister for Home Affairs in the past. Sources said police had been keeping an eye on him for some time after receiving complaints from victims. Karki had reportedly demanded Rs. 500,000 from the victim who was vying for the post of an Inspector. The victim, who had paid Rs. 100,000, lodged a complaint with the code number of the currency notes he had given to Karki. This subsequently landed him in trouble. Karki said he would bring out the truth before the media once he secures his release. On the other hand, Swami said he was bound to be arrested. “I made a mistake. I did not realise that I was doing the wrong thing,” he told the judges. On hearing the confession, the court granted permission to the CIAA to keep the duo in judicial custody for 20 days. Dhir Bahadur Chand, registrar of the court, said the CIAA chargesheets were not clear on whom the bribe money was recovered from. A special police team led by SP Birendra Shrestha arrested the duo red-handed from a rented accommodation at Bhimsengola. Karki was elected through the proportional system from Syangja. The CIAA also wrote a letter to Speaker Subas Nembang asking him to help take action against Karki. According to sources, Nembang telephoned UML Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal and asked him to demand Karki’s resignation. The CPN-UML has formed a three-member committee to investigate Karki’s involvement in the case. Central Disciplinary Commission Chairman Amrit Kumar Bohara said the party will take action against him as per the committee’s report.
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