CPN-UML lawmaker and former minister of Koshi province Lila Ballabh Adhikari will not be prosecuted in connection with the use of fake documents in a recent Japan visit.
According to District Attorney Sitaram Aryal, spokesperson for the Government Attorney's Office, Kathmandu, it has been decided not to file a case against lawmaker Adhikari.
Meanwhile, a case has been filed against 11 others at the Kathmandu District Court.
The Government Attorney's Office, Kathmandu, has registered a case against Janak Rai, Dawa Sherpa, Kanchan Devkota, Mahesh Pandey, Jugal Rijal, Bir Bahadur Sunuwar, Goody Rai, Nabin Rai, Diwakar Babu Bhattarai, Bishnu Prasad Bhattarai, and Yograj Gautam alias Gopal.
Among them, Diwakar Babu, Bishnu Prasad, and Yograj are absconding.
According to Attorney Aryal, a letter has been received from Japan against three of the defendants.
On October 27, four people including Lila Ballabh Adhikari, who was then minister for internal affairs and law of Koshi province, had left for Japan to participate in the week-long International Conference on Open Access to Culture 2024.
Japan’s immigration authorities had deported the other three – Janak Rai, Dawa Sherpa, and Kanchan Devkota – who had traveled to Japan with Adhikari.
Attorney Aryal said that Japan’s immigration authorities have sent an exclusion order against Rai, Sherpa and Devkota.
According to Attorney Aryal, lawmaker Adhikari was not found involved in the incident. He was instead found to have informed the immigration authorities himself after reaching Japan.
It was found that Japan’s law minister had returned the other three people. Japan’s immigration authorities have sent an exclusion order against the three. Lawmaker Adhikari was found to have returned home after requesting for it, Aryal said.
Similarly, lawmaker Adhikari was found to have messaged deputy inspectors general (DIGs) of Nepal Police after he found out upon reaching Japan that he had been used, Aryal said.
“He has messaged the DIGs on WhatsApp after finding out. Reports have also been received from the DIGs. It is also evident from the screenshots with him,” he said.
After the three were deported, police had questioned them and arrested Mahesh Pandey, Jugal Rijal, and Bir Bahadur Sunuwar based on their statements. Pandey was found to have played the main role in the incident.
It was found that Mahesh had messaged the lawmaker on WhatsApp that three others were also coming but the lawmaker did not even open the message, Aryal said.
According to Aryal, fake documents had been created in lawmaker Adhikari’s name and police have said that the signatures on those documents do not match his signature.
Organizing a press conference on November 6, Adhikari resigned as minister for internal affairs and law of Koshi province. The incident came to light after his resignation. Police arrested Adhikari and brought him to Kathmandu on November 10.
District Police Range, Kathmandu, had investigated nine people including him on charges of human trafficking and document forgery.
