KATHMANDU, Oct 28: The Lalitpur District Court has ordered the release of All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) President Pankaj Bikram Nembang and General Secretary Kiran Rai on bail of Rs 500,000 each in a case involving alleged financial irregularities and match-related misconduct.
A bench of District Judge Hari Singh Dhami issued the order on Wednesday after the two appeared in court to record their statements and attended a detention hearing.
The District Government Attorney’s Office, Lalitpur, filed a charge sheet on October 8 against Nembang, Rai, treasurer Rabindra Joshi and accounts officer Sanjiv Pandey. The office sought to recover a total of Rs 9,300,900 in alleged losses and compensation from the defendants.
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Following an investigation, the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police filed charges against all four under the National Sports Development Act, 2020, for alleged match-fixing and irregularities, and under the National Penal Code, 2017, for alleged fraud.
Treasurer Joshi had previously been released on Rs 1.5 million bail, while accounts officer Pandey was released on Rs 1.2 million bail. Nembang and Rai had not appeared in court after the case was filed. They appeared on Wednesday, recorded their statements and attended the detention hearing.
The allegations include irregularities surrounding the relocation to Bahrain of a FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier scheduled to be played in Nepal on March 21, 2024. According to the charge sheet, ANFA allowed a non-international event to be held at Dasharath Stadium without properly maintaining the pitch, after which the match was moved abroad through alleged collusion with Bahrain.
The defendants are also accused of misappropriating US$20,000, equivalent to approximately Rs 2.647 million, that Bahrain was required to pay ANFA from ticket sales. The amount was allegedly not deposited into ANFA’s official bank account. Nepal lost the two matches against Bahrain by scores of 5-0 and 3-0.
The charge sheet further alleges that ANFA violated its financial procedures by purchasing goods worth more than Rs 1 million through quotations without inviting open tenders.
In another allegation, sports equipment worth US$50,000, equivalent to Rs 6,653,900, was purchased under the Asian Football Confederation’s Extra Time Project. The charge sheet alleges that three companies under common ownership were presented as competing bidders and that the goods were purchased at prices higher than the approved cost estimates, causing financial losses to ANFA.
Although the court has ordered Nembang and Rai’s release on bail, they have not been cleared of allegations.
