CIB interrogates former prime minister duo Nepal and Bhattarai on Lalita Niwas land scam

KATHMANDU: The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police has recorded statements from former prime minister duo Baburam Bhattarai and Madhav Kumar Nepal in the Lalita Niwas land grab case.

The two former prime ministers were grilled at a time when the CIB was preparing to submit the investigation report.

The deck to investigate the then prime ministers was cleared after the Supreme Court issued a verdict to carry out an investigation into the decision of the Council of Ministers on the Lalita Niwas land scam.

Nepal had allowed the transfer of government land to individuals when he was the prime minister from May 25, 2009 to February 6, 2011.

Similarly, Bhattarai had given permission to register the land in the name of a fake trust when he was the prime minister from August 29, 2011 to March 14, 2012.

The coalition had faced widespread criticism saying it tried to protect the people involved in the scam by mounting pressure on the CIB.

A question was also raised against the CIB arguing that it was preparing to submit the investigation report without interrogating the accused persons.