The Kathmandu District Court has ordered the release of Nepali Congress lawmaker Maya Rai, who was arrested in connection with the misappropriation of savings at the Swarnalaxmi Multipurpose Cooperative in Kalimati, Kathmandu, on bail.
On Wednesday, Judge Mahendra Bahadur Karki's bench ordered Rai’s release on a bail of Rs 1 million, according to the court’s information officer, Deepak Kumar Shrestha.
The District Government Attorney’s Office, Kathmandu, had filed a case against Rai at the Kathmandu District Court on Tuesday.
Rai is a House of Representatives member from Bhojpur under the proportional representation system. She was arrested from Budhanilkantha of Kathmandu on April 26 by a team from the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office. A supplementary investigation was conducted against her in connection with the misappropriation of the cooperative’s savings.
Rai was a member of the cooperative from October 22, 2016, to November 20, 2017, during which time she is accused of misappropriating Rs 8.93 million. Additionally, while serving as the cooperative’s secretary from November 24, 2017, to September 7, 2019, she is accused of misappropriating Rs 14.21 million in the name of the working committee.
Alleging that Rai committed fraud by misappropriating the amount, the government attorney has sought Rs 23.14 million in damages from her and demanded punishment for fraud and organized crime.
On January 13, the District Government Attorney’s Office, Kathmandu, had filed a case in the Kathmandu District Court against 39 defendants, including Rastriya Swatantra Party President Rabi Lamichhane. It had sought Rs 1.19 billion in damages from the defendants.
In the first phase of the investigation, the government attorney did not name Rai as a defendant in the case, saying details of her three generations had not been verified.
Police and the government attorney were criticized for allegedly giving Rai immunity. The government attorney then instructed the police to investigate her.
RSP President Lamichhane was released after posting a bail of Rs 6 million in the case.
