Kathmandu: Nepal Police’s Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) confirmed that it had visited the residence of former Prime Ministers Madhav Kumar Nepal and Baburam Bhattarai last night in relation to the Lalita Niwas land case.

SSP Dinesh Acharya of the CIB confirmed that a statement had been taken from Madhav Kumar Nepal, who is also the chairman of the Unified Socialist party.

The CIB had also taken a statement from another former Prime Minister, Dr. Baburam Bhattarai. According to Vishwadeep Pandey, Dr. Bhattarai’s press advisor, the CIB team had arrived at Bhattarai’s residence in Tokha, Kathmandu, to take his statement.

In the year 2066 BS, during the leadership of Madhav Nepal’s government, a decision was made to expand the Prime Minister’s residence in Baluwatar and provide Mohi and giving them government land, which was styaing inside the premises but outside the fence, with a plot of land as compensation. While implementing the decision, 27 ropanis, 7 aanas, and 2 paisas of land were added to the Prime Minister’s residence. However, the decision was challenged, stating that Mohi was made to manage the government land, not the land outside the government’s boundary.

On Magh 5, 2069 BS, the land registration Office, Dilli Bazar, registered 60 aanas of land within the Lalita Niwas complex in the name of Pashupati Tikincha Guthi. The decision to register this land was approved by the then-cabinet led by Dr. Bhattarai. Hence, the controversy surrounding the decision.

However, after the CIB took statements from Madhav Nepal and Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, criticism was raised about their release in search of a resolution. This situation led the Supreme Court to order the incorporation of Madhav Nepal and Bhattarai’s names from the top layer (Pyramid) for investigation.

It is noteworthy that the names of the former Prime Ministers were not directly mentioned in the order. However, according to sources involved in the investigation, the investigation is expected to start from the Prime Ministers themselves. This decision has been considered controversial and unnecessary judicial activism. The decision of the Bureau to take statements from Madhav Nepal and Bhattarai’s residences after coordinating with the government attorneys is in question.

From 2049 to 2069 BS, During the Tenure Until 2069, More Than 143 Ropanis of Government Land, Which Was Under the Possession of Former Royal Family Member Subarna Shamsher Rana and Land Mafia, Were Seized by Decisions from the land registration office to Cabinet.

In 2066/67, when Madhav Nepal became the Prime Minister under the name of Prime Minister’s Residence Expansion, the Cabinet had made a decision to provide fake Mohi and land mafia with 25 ropanis and 5 aana of land as compensation in the premises of the Prime Minister’s residence in Baluwatar.

In Asar 2069, under the leadership of Bhattarai’s Cabinet, the decision of the Guthi of the time, along with 5 ropanis of land, was handed over to fake Mohi and the land mafia. Prior to that, the land registration Office had registered 112 ropanis and 4 aana of land in the name of individuals.

In Falgun 2078BS, the CIB had recommended that a case be filed against ‘fake papers’ for the allegation related to the Lalita Niwas case. However, due to political pressure and influence, the case was sent to CIB for further investigation, with the report submitted to the district government attorney’s office. At that time, Sher Bahadur Deuba was the Prime Minister. Prior to advancing the case, Prime Minister Deuba and the then Attorney General Khambabahadur Khati said that ‘a role had been played.’ According to an informed high-ranking government official at that time, the role was revealed. Afterward, the investigation file was lost in the CIB.

A year and a half later, in June of last year, the Prachanda-led government gave the CIB the go-ahead to continue the probe. After receiving court approval, the CIB is conducting an investigation under the guidelines of the Civil Code of 2020 and the Prevention of Organised Crime Act of 2070.