Ex-IGP Rana, contractor Bharati out on bail

KATHMANDU, Aug 3: The Special Court (SC) on Wednesday ordered the release of former inspector general of police Om Bikram Rana and contractor Shambhu Bharati, two prime accused in the multi-million rupee Sudan scam, after they deposited bail amounts sought by the court.



The SC ordered their release after they deposited bail of Rs 150 million each. [break]



According to Special Court Registrar Dhir Bahadur Chand, Bharati submitted bail through bank guarantee while Rana secured bail with land and property ownership certificates submitted at the court.



Some controversy surfaced when former police chief Rana submitted land ownership certificates at the court in a bid to meet the bail amount. Rana submitted the land ownership certificates, saying he possessed more than 100 ropani at Nagarkot.



The Special Court then sent an official, Ramesh Shrestha, to Nagarkot to check the legal status of the land in question.



"Our officer went and tried to cross check evidence regarding Rana´s land in Nagarkot," said Chand, adding, "However, locals protested Rana´s claim, saying the land is owned by the state and doesn´t belong to Rana." Bhaktapur Land Revenue Office could not verify that the land actually belongs to Rana.



According to Chand, Shestha came back concluding that there was controversy about the land at Nagarkot and said accepting the land as bail was not appropriate.



"Meanwhile, Rana´s family informed us that they are not going to submit the ownership certificates for the land at Nagarokot," Chand added, "Some 11 family members deposited ownership certificates for land they own in various places in Kathmandu and Lalitpur and we accepted that as on par with bail as set down by the court."







Civil Bank and Sidhhartha Bank deposited amounts for the bail set by the court, on behalf of contractor Bharati. "Civil Bank deposited 90 million while Sidhhartha Bank deposited 60 million," Chand told Republica.



Before accepting the bank guarantees, the court asked bank officials about the legal status and accuracy of the bank guarantee documents.



Proprietor of Bhagawati Traders, Bharati is also the local agent for London-based Assured Risks Ltd that supplied Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs) and other logistics meant for Nepal Police personnel serving in a UN peacekeeping mission in Darfur, Sudan.



The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has pressed graft charges against 36 persons including Rana and Bharati, accusing them of embezzling some Rs 290 million in the controversial APC procurement deal.

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