KATHMANDU, June 22: An audio call recording between Kathmandu District Court’s Judge Raj Kumar Koirala and Advocate Rudra Pokhrel striking a deal of Rs 20 million to grant bail to Icha Raj Tamang, real estate entrepreneur who is currently in judicial custody on the charge of fraud.
After the audio tape became public, acting Chief Justice Deepak Kumar Karki convened a meeting of the Judicial Council on Wednesday.
The audio came to light after it was made public by News 24 Television through their program ‘Sidha Kura Janta Sanga’ on Tuesday. In the audio file, the two can be heard having a conversation for almost ten minutes.
In the audio file, Advocate Pokharel says that “such an opportunity will not come again” and mentions “ways on how to order the release of Tamang on bail”. He also says that he is ready to create such an environment, reassuring Judge Koirala that he will also talk to suspended Chief Justice Cholendra Shamsher Rana for the same.
In the conversation, Koirala is heard saying that he will consult with his guru fearing that he would lose his job. Advocate Pokharel also assures Koirala that his order would be upheld in the high court.
Ichchha Raj Tamang was arrested on the charge of defrauding the public of Rs 8 billion. He was ordered to be remanded in custody by the Kathmandu District Court on December 29, 2021.
Judge Koirala and Advocate Pokharel seem to have talked about the financial give-and-take before Tamang was sent to judicial custody. However, after some disagreement, Judge Koirala had ordered Tamang to be remanded in custody.
Advocate Pokhrel is considered close to the CPN-UML. He was also the treasurer of Nepal Bar Association.
Chairman of the Nepal Bar Association Gopal Krishna Ghimire said the bar had taken the incident seriously and expressed his commitment to investigate it.