KATHMANDU, Aug 31: The Department of Revenue Investigation (DoRI) has issued a notice to Elina Basnet, wife of Bikal Paudel, the former Executive Director of the Security Printing Center, giving her a seven-day deadline to appear. Basnet currently resides in Syracuse, New York, USA.
The DoRI has instructed her to report within this timeframe, clarifying that the notice was issued under the Foreign Exchange (Regulation) Act 2019 and the Revenue Leakage (Investigation and Control) Act 2052.
Elina Basnet, whose husband Bikal Paudel has been found guilty in a corruption case by the Special Court, is now under investigation. The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has initiated an inquiry into Basnet in connection with the illegal acquisition of assets.
Wealth Management
Sources indicate that Paudel illicitly transferred money to the United States under his wife’s name. Consequently, Basnet is also under investigation. The CIAA has sought the confiscation of property belonging to both Paudel and Basnet.
The CIAA has requested the seizure of funds deposited in the names of Elina Basnet and Bikal Paudel at the Bank of America National Association, USA, and the United Overseas Bank, Singapore. According to the CIAA, a total of Rs 289.58 million was deposited, with Rs 15.27 million given as a gift to Basnet for purchasing a house in the United States. The CIAA claims that no source was provided for the remaining Rs 44.26 million used in the house purchase.
In mid-May, the Supreme Court sentenced Paudel and three others to two years in prison for embezzling Rs 96.2 million in the procurement of a security printing press, resulting in a loss of over Rs 254.7 million for the Government of Nepal. Additionally, in a separate case involving false information, the Special Court sentenced Paudel to one year in prison and imposed a Rs 10,000 fine.
Two more cases are pending against Paudel, seeking the recovery of Rs 400 million for illegally acquired assets and irregularities in the press procurement. During the ongoing investigation, it was revealed that Paudel purchased a house worth Rs 70 million in New York in his wife’s name. Basnet, a doctor at the Upstate Cancer Center in New York, is also named in the investigation.
The notice issued by the DoRI under the Foreign Exchange (Regulation) Act 2019 and the Revenue Leakage (Investigation and Control) Act 2052 stipulates that if Basnet does not appear within a week, legal action will be taken as per prevailing laws.
The CIAA filed a case against Paudel on May 22 at the Special Court for the illegal acquisition of assets. The commission has requested the confiscation of assets in the names of Paudel, his wife Elina Basnet, his father Dharma Prasad Sharma Poudel, and his mother Sheetal Poudel. The CIAA has also sought the confiscation of assets held in foreign banks.
