Four Acquitted in Money Laundering Case Filed Against 'Gangster Leaders'

Kathmandu. Four out of five individuals, against whom a money laundering case was filed in 2070 BS under the category of 'gangster leaders', have been acquitted by the court. After a legal process of more than a decade, the Supreme Court's recent acquittal of Milan Gurung (Chakre Milan) and Ganesh Lama in the money laundering case has brought this matter to a near close. The Department of Money Laundering Investigation had filed a case against Deepak Manange, Ganesh Lama, Parshuram Basnet, Abhishek Giri, and Chakre Milan in the Special Court on May 5, 2070, based on a report from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of the police. After the Special Court acquitted everyone in the money laundering case, the Department of Money Laundering filed an appeal in the Supreme Court. Chakre Milan and Ganesh Lama Get Relief The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the Special Court's decision to acquit Chakre Milan, also known as Milan Gurung. On July 21, 2081 BS, Justices Abdul Ajij Musalman and Meghraj Pokharel's bench acquitted him. The Department of Money Laundering had claimed that Gurung possessed illegal assets worth 80 million rupees. Similarly, Ganesh Lama, who is also a leader of the Nepali Congress, has also received a full acquittal from the Supreme Court. In 2075 BS, the Special Court had sentenced Lama to 1 year imprisonment and a fine of 14 million rupees. However, on June 9, 2081 BS, a bench of Supreme Court Justices Kumar Regmi and Abdul Ajij Musalman overturned the Special Court's decision and declared him innocent. The department had claimed that Lama had earned illegal assets worth 270 million rupees. Parshuram Basnet: Acquitted in 2078 BS Youth Union leader close to UML, Parshuram Basnet, had already been acquitted by the Supreme Court on September 10, 2078 BS. A bench of Justices Deepak Kumar Karki and Tanka Bahadur Moktan upheld the Special Court's previous verdict and acquitted him. Although the department claimed that Basnet had illegal assets worth 110 million rupees, the court acquitted him citing that the assets were acquired before the Money Laundering Act came into effect. The government's side had claimed that the basis on which the Special Court acquitted Basnet, stating the claim was insufficient, was flawed. The department had claimed that Basnet possessed assets worth 110 million rupees. The department's charge sheet claimed that Basnet had invested in 42 ropanis of land in Morang, 3 vehicles, Adzone Advertising, PR Hardware, Banglamukhi Builders, Gajalakshmi Trade, Mero Travels, Welcome Party Palace, and Tekendra Construction Service. The Special Court had acquitted him stating that he acquired the property before the Money Laundering Act. The Special Court had issued a verdict acquitting Basnet on March 25, 2074 BS. The bench of Special Court Justices Baburam Regmi, Chandiraj Dhakal, and Narayan Prasad Pokharel had acquitted him. Deepak Manange: Escaped Due to Technical Reasons In the case of Deepak Manange (Rajiv Gurung), former minister of Gandaki Province, the case could not proceed due to the government's negligence. The Special Court had acquitted him in 2074 BS. As the government side did not file an appeal in the Supreme Court on time, his case was terminated after the deadline expired. Abhishek Giri: Case Under Consideration Among the five individuals, the case of Abhishek Giri is still under consideration in the Supreme Court. Although he was acquitted by the Special Court, his case is yet to be concluded as the government side filed an appeal. Why Did Everyone Get Acquitted? The Department of Money Laundering Investigation had claimed that all five individuals had acquired property through illegal activities, threats, and extortion. However, the Special and Supreme Courts, in most cases, acquitted them stating that the property was acquired before the Money Laundering Act came into effect and that the claimed illegal sources could not be proven.