Fiscal Nepal
First Business News Portal in English from Nepal
KATHMANDU: The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police has intensified its probe into alleged irregular leasing of Nepal Trust land, expanding the investigation to include the Gokarna Forest Resort deal and the period when the KP Sharma Oli–led government granted leases to private operators.
The development follows Saturday’s arrest of former joint secretary Lekh Bahadur Karki in the Durbar Marg land lease case; Karki is being produced at Kathmandu District Court today for remand extension. CIB Chief AIG Dr. Manoj Kumar KC said teams will begin questioning other decision-makers and tracing documentary evidence connected to the lease decision chain from today. “Interrogation of other concerned officials begins today. We are investigating the entire decision chain,” he said.
According to CIB sources, the land in question was awarded to Yeti Holdings during the KP Oli-led administration around 2075–76 BS (roughly 2018–2020 AD), when Yogesh Bhattarai served as Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation. Media reporting has previously flagged Yeti Holdings’ lease and extension of Gokarna Forest Resort and other Nepal Trust properties as politically sensitive and contested.
CIB insiders say the probe will not stop at mid-level officials. “According to a CIB source, the investigation will go straight to the then-Prime Minister and the then-tourism minister to determine whether they were involved. If they are involved, we will arrest them,” the source told reporters. The bureau is now prioritizing evidence collection — financial records, cabinet minutes, trust board decisions and approval paperwork — to establish any chain of responsibility. (Yogesh Bhattarai’s appointment as tourism minister under the KP Oli government is a matter of public record.)
CIB officials also confirmed they have reactivated previously stalled complaints and FIRs alleging irregular leasing of multiple government and trust-owned plots. Investigators say earlier probes into such cases had slowed or stalled for various reasons; the CIB has now ordered those enquiries to be fast-tracked. “Whatever the reason before, we are now committed to fully concluding all pending investigations,” Dr. KC said, referring to his bureau’s renewed momentum.
The renewed attention on the Gokarna lease and other Nepal Trust transactions has already drawn public and political scrutiny, with prior coverage reporting protests and parliamentary questions over the timing and terms of lease extensions granted to private firms including Yeti Holdings.
As the CIB ramps up fieldwork and document verification across ministries and the Trust, sources say more summonses and potential arrests could follow if the bureau finds direct evidence linking decision-makers to irregularities. The investigation — touching high-profile names, government leasing policy, tourism sector assets and state property management — is likely to remain a central national story as the CIB pursues leads.
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