KATHMANDU, Nov 8: Absconding former Gandaki Province minister Rajiv Gurung aka Deepak Manange, who was convicted by the Supreme Court (SC) and sentenced to 26 months in prison, has stated that he will appear before the court himself after he receives the full text of the verdict.
Police are currently searching for Manange, following the apex court’s verdict. Although he lost his position as an MP following the SC’s verdict on Tuesday, Gurung on his official letterhead as a member of Gandaki Provincial Assembly on Friday said he plans to be present before the court after the apex court releases the full text of the verdict.
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Manange wrote in the statement, “For the past few days, the news and comments written about me in various newspapers and social networks have drawn my serious attention. I was informed by my lawyer, who has been advocating on my behalf, that the judgment in my case was issued on November 5 which is currently pending in the SC. Following that, I sent my lawyer to obtain a copy of the verdict. However, I got information from the court that the brief text of the judgment is not yet prepared.”
Manange wrote that since the day of the verdict he had switched off his mobile phone as he was receiving constant calls from the media that sensationalize the issue. “It has been found that misleading news on this issue is being disseminated through various media channels. I object to this,” he has written in the statement.
Manange also mentioned in the statement that he will appear before the court on his own once he receives the full text of the SC verdict.