Nepal Attorney General  General, an advocate for corruption:



The government has transferred Rajendra Subedi, lead investigator of the Sudan scam, to Appellate Court Nepalgunj. The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) had assigned Subedi to probe the scam, one of the biggest corruption cases where high-level Nepal Police officers are accused of misappropriating Rs 350 millions in purchasing Armoured Personnel Carrier (APCs) and other logistics worth Rs 400 million.

CIAA officials are already questioning the motive behind his transfer. They argue that his transfer now will delay the investigation into the 17-month old corruption case. “The transfer will adversely affect investigation. A new case officer will have to spend a lot of time learning the basics of the case,” said a highly-placed CIAA official.

According to him, the anti-graft body will not be able to come up with a decision within the May 28 deadline as demanded by the Parliamentary State Affairs Committee (SAC). The SAC has directed the anti-graft body time and again to take a decision over the Sudan scam at the earliest, arguing that the country’s security situation been affected by prolonged investigation into the involvement of senior police officials in the scam.

Over 48 senior officials including former police chiefs Om Bikram Rana, Hem Bahadur Gurung and incumbent police chief Ramesh Chanda Thakuri have been dragged into this scam.   

SAC Chairman Ramnath Dhakal expressed serious concern over the government’s decision to remove the lead investigator. “If the decision has been taken to help any of the accused, we will certainly call the government to  account,” said Dhakal.

The Office of the Attorney General transferred four Joint-Attorney Generals— Sameer Silwal, Khaga Raj Poudel, Subedi, Ramesh Pokharel—working at the CIAA to the Office of the Attorney General, Rajbiraj Appellate Court, Appellate Court Nepalgunj and Patan Appellate Court, respectively.

Among them, Subedi has been involved in probing Sudan scam. Officials at the CIAA said Subedi shown the courage  to probe the case that implicates senior police officials. Many other Joint Attorney Generals earlier declined to be the lead investigator. 

Attorney General Yuba Raj Sangraula said the reshuffling was part of a regular bureaucratic process and that the change of the investigator would not affect the probe. Subedi has completed two years at the CIAA and government officials say that he was transferred after completion of his tenure. Incidentally, the CIAA source, several other Joint Attorney Generals deputed at the CIAA have been left undisturbed despite completing their two-year tenures.

http://www.ekantipur.com/2011/04/28/editors-pick/sudan-scam-probe-takes-wrong-turn/333182.html