In a rare move, Nepal's Supreme Court convicts ex-minister Chiranjibi Wagle for corruption and jails him for 18 months
KATHMANDU (TrustLaw) - In a rare move, Nepal's Supreme Court has convicted a former minister for corruption and sentenced him to 18 months in jail, a court official said on Thursday.
Chiranjibi Wagle was minister seven times between 1991 and 2002 where he held key portfolios including information and communications, land reforms and physical planning and is the most senior politician to be convicted for graft by the Himalayan nation's highest court.
"He has been sentenced to 18 months in jail and should also pay 20.3 million rupees ($280,000) in fine," Supreme Court spokesman Hemant Rawal said.
The court, in a judgement handed on Wednesday, held Wagle -- who belongs to the main opposition Nepali Congress Party -- responsible for amassing assets such as luxurious car and property well beyond his means, he said.
The investigation into Wagle’s assets began in 2004 and he was found guilty by a special court dealing with graft cases. The former minister at the time had denied any wrong-doing and appealed to the Supreme Court, which on Wednesday upheld the verdict given seven years ago.
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