NEPAL: CORRUPTION CONVICTION AGAINST FORMER

UNCLAS KATHMANDU 001406 SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE FOR SA/INS STATE ALSO FOR INL JWHITAKER LONDON FOR POL/GURNEY NSC FOR GREEN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KCOR PGOV KCRM NP SUBJECT: NEPAL: CORRUPTION CONVICTION AGAINST FORMER MINISTER WAGLE ¶1. (U) On July 22, the Special Court convicted Chiranjivi Wagle, former deputy prime minister and Central Committee member of Prime Minister Deuba's Nepali Congress (Democratic) party, on corruption charges. The court sentenced him to two and a half years in jail, a fine of NRs. 27.2 million (approximately USD 368,000) and ordered him to provide the court with information explaining his sources of income and assets. This is the first time in Nepal that corruption charges against a senior-level politician have resulted in a criminal conviction. The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse and Authority (CIAA) filed the case against Wagle over a year and a half ago. According to CIAA sources, there are additional corruption cases against three former ministers awaiting trial by the Special Court. News reports indicate that Wagle will appeal his conviction. ¶2. (SBU) COMMENT: The Wagle conviction, if it withstands the appeal process, will send shivers down the spines of Nepal's many corrupt politicians. This guilty sentence results from three years of the CIAA's tireless investigations and filings of criminal cases against powerful personalities. What is most significant on the Wagle verdict is the judges' unanimous decision on the case. In the past, there have been indications the Special Court's judges appeared too intimidated to rule against powerful political interests and personalities. Up to the Wagle verdict, the judges had only handed down rulings against low and mid-level officials on minor charges (mostly false educational diplomas used to qualify for promotions). If this verdict stands, it could provide a timely boost for rule of law as the Palace, parties and Maoists vie for dominance in the state. END COMMENT. MORIARTY