The Area Police Office in Rangeli has commenced investigation regarding the fund embezzlement at Uma-Gauri Agriculture Cooperative in Dhanpalthal Rural Municipality-4, Morang. But the police investigation does not include Anjala Koirala, the wife of CPN-UML leader Rishikesh Pokharel and one of the accused of the cooperative scam.

The Office of the Cooperative Registrar in Koshi Province wrote to the Area Police Office in Rangeli on September 9 removing Koirala’s name. Koirala is one among those accused of embezzling Rs145.6 million deposited in Uma-Gauri Agriculture Cooperative. Koirala’s husband, Pokharel, is the chairman of the Public Account Committee of the House of Representatives.

Office of the Cooperative Registrar in Koshi sent names of the cooperative chairman Shambhu Prasad Rauniyar, vice-chairman Laxman Sah, secretary Alam Ansari, treasurer Shambhu Prasad Singh and members Aamod Mandal, Roshan Rajbanshi and Jitman Thakur to the Rangeli police for investigation about the cooperative fraud. The office also forwarded names of account committee coordinator of the cooperative Bijaya Kumar Yadav and members Surendra Kumar Rajbanshi and Ashok Kumar Biswas for necessary investigation.

A complaint was registered at the Office of the Cooperative Registrar in Koshi a few months ago stating that Rs145.6 million was embezzled at Uma-Gauri Agriculture Cooperative. Koirala’s name was also in the list of the accused involved in misappropriating the deposited money. Koirala was a member of the board of directors of Uma-Gauri Agriculture Cooperative from 2015 to 2021.

Koirala was the member of the board of directors of crisis-ridden Uma-Gauri Agriculture Cooperative for six years but the Office of the Cooperative Registrar removed her name for investigation. Hari Khatri, chief at Office of the Cooperative Registrar in Koshi, said that Koirala was not recommended for investigation as details of accounts of the cooperative were not found during her office tenure.

The victims of cooperative fraud suspect that Koirala’s name was removed from the list of suspects alleged of misappropriating the cooperative’s fund due to political pressure.

Police Inspector Santosh Khadka at the Area Police Office in Rangeli confirmed that Koirala’s name is not in the list of the suspects provided by the Office of the Cooperative Registrar in Koshi. “Investigation is underway into the suspects,” said Khadka. “It may take two to three months to complete the investigation.”

Uma-Gauri Agriculture Cooperative took a total loan of Rs115.6 million from various commercial banks by keeping the land ownership certificates of the board of directors of the cooperative. The cooperative has not yet returned around Rs20 million to the depositors. The cooperative, which has a total capital of Rs185.1 million, has around 5,000 shareholders.

Meanwhile, Koirala registered a writ petition at the Morang District Court a month ago, seeking a clean chit regarding the cooperative embezzlement issue. She was blacklisted by Butwal-based RSDC Micro Finance Company from where Uma-Gauri Agriculture Cooperative had taken a total loan of Rs27.5 millions in 2021. The microfinance blacklisted the board members of the cooperative as the latter failed to repay the loan and its interests.