Suspended Bagmati Mayor Bharat Thapa convicted of corruption in construction of Bharat Lake Gets one-year jail term for illegally amassing property worth nearly Rs 35 million

Setopati

Kathmandu, Aug 6

The Special Court has convicted Bharat Thapa, the suspended mayor of Bagmati Municipality in Sarlahi, of corruption in the construction of Bharat Lake.

Along with Mayor Thapa, Bimal Kumar Pokharel and Sagar Paudel were also found guilty of corruption in the lake’s construction.

On Wednesday, a bench of Special Court Chairman Tek Narayan Kunwar and members Murari Babu Shrestha and Bidur Koirala ruled that the three caused a loss of Rs 302.93 million worth of riverine resources.

The sentencing hearing for them has been scheduled for August 14.

Leela Kumari Moktan, Bishwaraj Pokharel, and Methur Chaudhary were acquitted in the case.

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) had filed the case at the Special Court on June 11, 2024.

In another case, the court ruled that Mayor Thapa was found to have illegally amassed property worth Rs 34.52 million.

The court ordered a fine equivalent to this amount and the confiscation of the corresponding property. It also sentenced him to to one year in prison for the offense.

This case was filed by the CIAA at the Special Court on April 9, 2024.