Govt not to bear costs of Col Lama's case henceforth

KATHMANDU, Sept 8: Maintaining that it would have difficulties in bearing the financial liability of supporting Colonel Kumar Lama´s ongoing legal battle in the United Kingdom, the government has decided to direct the Nepal Army (NA) to ask Rana to hire lawyers for his defense hereforth.



A cabinet meeting held on September 2 decided to direct the Ministry of Defense to ask Colonel Lama to make personal arrangement for his legal aid while assuring to bear all the expense incurred so far, reversing the decision taken earlier by the Baburam Bhattarai-led government on January 17. [break]



A specialist unit of the Metropolitan Police Service had arrested Colonel Lama, 46, at St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex on January 4, 2013. Lama was accused of torturing two detainees between April and October 2005 at the Gorusinghe Army Barracks in Kapilvastu when the Maoist insurgency was at its peak in Nepal.



Officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that cabinet has asked them to seek details of the expenses incurred so far through the embassy in London.



"We will follow the cabinet´s decision," said MoFA Spokesperson Dipak Dhital. The cabinet meeting has directed the Ministry of Finance to release the amount as per the details of the expenditure received in the name of the Nepali Embassy in London.



The government has so far released €110,000 as a legal aid to Colonel Lama. As per the previous understanding, the government is to pay a total of € 430,000 to Kingsley Napley, a UK law firm hired to defend Lama.



During a meeting with visiting Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) Gaurab SJB Rana in London on Saturday, Colonel Lama had complained that the government was dilly-dallying to release money for his legal aid as promised earlier.



While informing Lama that the government has formally decided not to bear financial liability for the legal aid henceforth, Rana, however, assured of full support to him as the case is related to the whole institution of the army and the national integrity.



Among other things, the cabinet meeting had also decided to ask the Defense Ministry to coordinate all works concerning the legal aid of Colonel Lama in the UK court as per the recommendations made by a committee formed earlier under the Defense Secretary to look into the matter.



Colonel Lama was released on March 16 on the condition that he would not leave the UK until the court gives a final verdict on the case. Lama was released after depositing a bail amount of 10,000 pound sterling.

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