Nepal's former minister convicted on corruption charge

Nepal's former minister convicted on corruption charge

2011-03-18 02:44:15 GMT+7 (ICT)

KATHMANDU (BNO NEWS) -- Nepal's Supreme Court on Thursday sentenced a former minister to jail, concluding a nine-year-old high-profile corruption case, the Republica newspaper reported.



Nepali Congress leader Chiranjivi Wagle was slapped with an 18-month jail term and a fine of 40 million Nepalese rupees (550,000 US dollars) for corruption. Wagle, 58, was arrested at his residence after the Supreme Court's sentence.

"The SC [supreme Court] verdict was unjust. I have been wrongly accused of illegally amassing money which actually my son and daughter-in-law earned. SC did injustice to me," he told reporters before being taken to jail.

"Thousands of innocent people have been made to suffer for no reasons. I am also ready to face it," Wagle added, as cited by the newspaper.

The Special Court had slapped a jail term of two-and-a-half-years on July 22, 2004, after he was accused of abusing power and amassing money while he was minister.

 Wagle was minister for information and communications, minister for physical planning and works, minister for land reforms and minister for home affairs between 1990 and 2002.


This is the first time that a high-ranking leader is convicted of corruption in Nepal.

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