Nepal Army on Thursday sacked Major General Prem Shahi after its court convicted him of financial irregularities while in service.

A court martial decided to boot out Shahi and take departmental actions against two colonels after a court of inquiry found their involvement in financial irregularities.

“Shahi has been sacked from service while colonels—Mahendra Jung Shah and Kuldeep Timalsena—have faced departmental actions after a probe found their involvement in irregularities,” Nepal Army spokesperson Brigadier General Krishna Bhandari confirmed to the Post. “They have been released from the army supervision after the decision.”

Shahi was arrested by military police on January 4 when he moved to the army headquarters with a court order demanding he be allowed to continue his service.

There was a mismatch in the date of birth mentioned in the citizenship certificate and academic credentials that Shahi submitted while joining the army. Some documents show he was born on January 4, 1966 while others cited his date of birth as January 4, 1967. Before he was asked to retire on January 4, he moved the Supreme Court claiming he still had a year for retirement.

Responding to his petition, a single bench of Justice Hari Phuyal on December 28 asked the army headquarters to allow him to work until the final verdict. The court also directed the army headquarters to respond in writing within 15 days explaining the reasons for sending him into retirement.

Not long afterwards, Shahi was arrested on the charge of corruption. The army’s court convicted him after a two-month long investigation. He was kept in army custody from January 4 until his release on Thursday. Colonel Shah and Lieutenant Colonel Timalsena too were taken into custody for enquiry.

Responding to writ petitions on habeas corpus, the apex court had directed the army to produce both the colonels before it. But the army didn’t receive the court order; rather its court martial decided to release them with departmental actions. All three worked closely with former chief of army staff Purna Chandra Thapa.

“The details of the decision for the army court are yet to be received,” Bhandari, the Army spokesperson, said. “Actions against the convicts will be taken accordingly.”

The army, which has been reluctant to abide by the decisions of civilian courts, has a legal department which takes final decisions on any charges against its servicemen.