Lawyers of all 18 defendants have completed their arguments in the bail hearing in the fake Bhutanese refugees case.
Lawyers of four defendants–former Nepali Congress lawmaker Ang Tawa Sherpa, Bhutanese refugee leader Tek Nath Rizal, Laxmi Maharjan, and Hari Bhakta Maharjan–presented their arguments before the bench of Kathmandu District Court Judge Prem Prasad Neupane on Thursday.
Government attorneys will make counter-arguments on Friday. Judge Neupane has instructed the government attorneys to complete their counter-arguments by 2 PM Friday.
“Complete the counter-arguments by two o’clock. Then I will issue an order,” Neupane said.
After hearing the counter-arguments, the bench will decide whether to try the defendants by keeping them in custody or to release them on bail or normal date.
The District Government Attorney’s Office (DGAO), Kathmandu, has made 30 individuals defendants in the case. Eighteen of them have already been arrested while 12 others are still at large.
The DGAO had filed cases of fraud, organized crime, forgery and offense against the state against them.
