Court slaps 1.5-yr jail term on ex-minister Joshi

KATHMANDU, July 25: The Special Court (SC) on Wednesday ordered one-and a-half years jail term to Govinda Raj Joshi and slapped Rs 21.61 million in fine and as much amount in compensation through property confiscation after convicting him in graft case.



A three-member bench of SC judges Gauri Bahadur Karki, Om Prakash Mishra and Kedar Prasad Chalise issued the verdict in a corruption case against the Nepali Congress leader. [break]



Earlier, the apex court had referred the case back to the SC, ordering it to re-assess its previous verdict in which Joshi had been acquitted in 2006.



In January, 2004, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) had filed the graft case against the former minister, charging him with embezzling Rs 39.3 million when he during his tenures as government minister in different time periods.

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