SC to Probe Bribery Scandal Involving Its Officer

Supreme Court on Friday set up an investigation committee to probe into a bribery scandal reportedly involving one of its section officers.The scandal came into surface after Himal Khabarpatrika in Chaitra 1-15, 2063, issue published the transcribed version of the content of a compact disc it received.The CD contains a record of taped telephone conversation between Supreme Court section officer Baburam Dahal and client Raju Shakya.In the CD, the report says, Dahal is heard asking bribe from Shakya claiming that he would woo the Supreme Court judges including the CJ to deliver a verdict on a land dispute in his favour.Shakya lost the case even though he paid a sum of Rs 250,000 to Dahal seeking a verdict in his favour. Dahal had demanded Rs 300,000 as bribe."The CJ has decided to form an investigation committee," SC Registrar Dr Ram Krishna Timalsena told journalists at a press conference organised on Friday. Acting Secretary of Judicial Service Commission, Prakash Kumar Dhungana, Joint Registrar Shree Kanta Paudel and under secretary Daya Ram Dhakal are the members of the panel, which has 15 days to submit a report on the issue.Timalsena, however, said the probe panel has no jurisdiction to inquire or question the judges whom Dahal, in the CD, has named and said he would talk to regarding the dispute.Meanwhile, issuing a press statement on Friday, SC spokesperson Durga Prasad Dawadi has called the media not to publish the matter again because it apparently proved that Shakya has tried to mislead the court and later exposed the CD after the verdict was issued against him. "This proves that there is no relation whatsoever between the CJ, SC Judges and the scam," he said.The court also said it would take action against anyone found guilty in the scam.