KATHMANDU, July 16: The Special Public Prosecutor's Office (SPPO) on Thursday filed a supplementary charge sheet at the Special Court against former Finance Minister and CPN-UML Vice-Chairman Bishnu Prasad Poudel in a money laundering case.
The charge sheet, based on an investigation by the Department of Money Laundering Investigation (DoMLI), also names controversial businessmen Deepak Bhatt, Sulabh Agrawal and Subhi Agrawal, along with several companies.
The prosecution has sought the recovery of Rs 209 million from Poudel, accusing him of abusing his position and influence to facilitate money laundering.
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According to the charge sheet, Poudel allegedly colluded with businessman Deepak Bhatt to facilitate the transfer of high-value shares of Shriram Tobacco Industries Pvt. Ltd. to Bhatt-owned Himalayan Asset Management Pvt. Ltd. at an undervalued price with wrongful intent.
The SPPO has sought the recovery of Rs 477.76 million from Deepak Bhatt, Rs 133.35 million from Subhi Agrawal and Rs 209 million from Himalayan Asset Management Pvt. Ltd.
The DoMLI has also sought the confiscation of assets, including the Baluwatar residence and other properties of Sulabh Agrawal, 17 million shares of Riddhi Siddhi Cement, and around 156 ropanis of land owned by eight different companies linked to Deepak Bhatt.
According to the investigation, the defendants allegedly laundered and transferred billions of rupees through transactions involving Himalayan Re-Insurance, Shriram Tobacco Industries and several cooperatives.
