Court demands Rs. 14 M bail from ex-customs chief

Kathmandu Nov 17-The Special Court on Tuesday demanded Rs 14 million bail amount from the then joint secretary at the Finance Ministry and ex-chief customs officer at the Tribhuvan International Airport Sabitri Rajbhandary.

Rajbhandary was released after she deposited the bail amount. The Commission for the Investigation of the Abuse of Authority (CIAA) had filed a corruption case at the court claiming that she had amassed property worth Rs 29.3 million illegally and kept it in the name of her daughter Monisha, four months ago.

The court slapped the bail after conducting a hearing on whether to remand Rajbhandary in judicial custody. She was at large at the time of submitting the charge sheet but she attended the court on Tuesday’s hearing.

The Commission had charged Rajbhandary of hiding Rs 29 million deposited at the Himalayan Bank Putalisadak after the formation of the high level judicial committee to investigate property in 2058 BS.

Main while, Chief photographer of The Himalayan Times, Rajesh Gurung, and photographer Naresh Shrestha today filed a joint FIR (First Information Report) at the Singhadurbar Ward Police Office against the cohorts of former chief of the Tribhuvan International Airport Customs Office Sabitri Rajbhandari.

The photographers also demanded compensation for damaging a camera. Shrestha’s camera’s flash was damaged when supporters of Rajbhandari tried to seize the camera on the premises of the Special Court yesterday when they were trying to take Rajbhandari’s photograph.
“We asked the photographers to lodge an FIR at the police station as Rajbhandari’s cohorts didn’t appear for talks today at the police office as promised yesterday,” Bhupendra Khatri, inspector at the Singhadurbar Ward Police Office, said. “We will take due action,” he said assuring the photographers.

Issuing separate releases, National Forum of Photo Journalists (NFPJ) and Reporters’ Club Nepal condemned the manhandling of the photographers and “uncivilised act” and demanded compensation for damages. “We demand that the authorities involved in arbitration between the attacking party and the victims of this inhuman act dole out just compensation to the victims and punish the attacking party,” the press release issued by the NFPJ stated.