Kathmandu: The Special Court has granted the Department of Money Laundering Investigation an additional six-day remand to continue its probe into former Finance Minister and CPN-UML Vice-chairman Bishnu Prasad Paudel.
This marks the third extension of Paudel’s custody since his initial arrest, with the latest order being issued on Thursday by a bench comprising Judges Hemanta Rawal, Dilliratna Shrestha, and Umesh Koirala.
Paudel was previously remanded for seven days on June 23 and for another three days on June 29 as authorities seek to deepen their investigation into his financial dealings.
Simultaneously, a legal challenge against his detention is being adjudicated in the Supreme Court. Paudel’s wife, Domaya, filed a habeas corpus petition on June 24, contending that the former minister is being held unlawfully and should be released immediately. A bench consisting of Justices Binod Sharma and Nityananda Pandey is currently presiding over the hearings for the petition, which has become a focal point of the legal tension surrounding the high-profile arrest.
The broader context of these investigations was highlighted earlier this week when the Supreme Court moved to consolidate related evidence.
A bench consisting of Justices Tek Prasad Dhungana and Meghraj Pokharel ordered the submission of case files involving prominent businessmen Deepak Bhatta and Sulav Agrawal.
Those files pertain to ongoing charges of money laundering, banking offences, and securities fraud. The judiciary is currently examining potential links between these cases as part of its wider scrutiny into financial irregularities involving influential political and business figures.
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