The Morang District Court has issued arrest warrants against 25, including Anjala Koirala, wife of parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chair Rishikesh Pokharel, in connection with alleged financial irregularities in Uma-Gauri Agricultural Cooperative. Judge Arun Kumar Jha’s bench issued the warrants on Tuesday.

“The arrest warrants have been forwarded to the Rangeli Area Police Office,” said court information officer Hem Bahadur Budhathoki. “If the accused are not apprehended within seven days, authorities will proceed with formal notices at their residences, and further legal steps will follow.”

On December 13, the District Attorney’s Office filed a case against 26 individuals, including Koirala and cooperative chair Shambhu Prasad Rauniyar, seeking compensation for embezzled funds worth Rs220 million. The charges stemmed from a police investigation report submitted to the court.

Prior to this, on September 9, the Cooperative Registrar’s Office in Koshi had directed an inquiry into key officials, including Rauniyar, Vice-Chair Laxman Sah, Secretary Alam Ansari Miya, Treasurer Shambhu Prasad Singh, and board members Amod Mandal, Roshan Rajbanshi, and Jitman Thakur.

The investigation uncovered significant financial mismanagement, with the cooperative borrowing over Rs115 million from banks while showing loans and investments worth Rs178.7 million against a total capital of Rs184 million.

The accusations have sparked political debate, with opposition parties demanding further investigations into PAC chair Pokharel’s role, alleging indirect involvement in the cooperative’s operations. Koirala resigned as a board member in early 2022 following a financial crisis in the organisation.