Special Court sentences, fines nine in Fun Park lease scam

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Mar. 12: The Special Court gave its final decision against five individuals involved in the corruption regarding the lease scam of Bhrikutimandap-based Fun Park on Thursday.

A case was registered at the court on February 4, 2019, against 14 individuals – Badri Prasad Neupane, Kunja Bihari Prasad  Chaudhary, Pramod Mehta, Hari Neupane, Mohan Raj 

Sharma, Madan Kumar Lal Karna, Tek Bahadur Gurung, Rabindra Gurung, Ratna Gaha Magar, Bal Bahadur Swar, Madan Prasad Rimal, Prem Singh Dhami, Jagadev Chaudhary and Rabindra Kumar.  

Among them, the court, on February 28, had given a clean cheat to five individuals – Ratna Gaha Magar, Bal Bahadur Swar, Madan 

Prasad Rimal, Prem Singh Dhami, Jagadev Chaudhary and Rabindra Kumar – and found nine others involved in the corruption. 

As per the final verdict by the joint bench of Justices Shreekanta Paudel, Shaligram Koirala and Balabhadra Bastola, Neupane has been sentenced to nine-and-a-half-years in prison and a cash penalty of Rs. 24,368,803. 

Officials at the Special Court also informed that Neupane was also charged with an additional fine equivalent to the cash penalty.

Likewise, Mehta and Rabindra Kumar have been sentenced to eight-and-a-half-years in prison, Rs. 24,368,803 in penalty, and an additional fine of the penalty amount each.

Similarly, Hari Neupane, Mohan Raj Sharma and Madan Kumar Lal Karna have been sentenced to eight years in prison and a penalty and additional fine of Rs. 24,368,803 each.

Also, Tek Bahadur Gurung, who was elected to the House of Representatives from Manang district in the 2022 general elections, have been fined a cash penalty of Rs. 12,184,801 and an additional fine of the penalty.

Gurung was suspended from the post in December 2022 since the corruption case was pending against him. His son Rabindra Gurung has also been sentenced similarly. 

Among the nine individuals found guilty, Kunja Bihari Prasad Chaudhary was also sentenced to prison and penalty. However, he has already died.

Meanwhile, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) filed a corruption case against Shambhu Prasad Neupane, Gauri Kumari and Hira Kumari Shrestha at the Special Court on Friday for corruption while evaluating the price of a land in Ward No. 10 of Harion Municipality in Sarlahi.

Neupane had done the corruption during his earlier tenure as the ward chairman of Ward No. 10. He was elected the ward chairman in the 2022 local elections as well.

Nevertheless, a case was also filed against Bechan Yadav. Yadav was presented as a government witness in the corruption case involving Shiva Narayan Yadav but had later changed his statement.