KATHMANDU, Dec 12: The current Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal's connection and contact with the operating partners of private telecommunications had blossomed when he became the country’s PM for the first time, leading the government formed after the election of the first Constituent Assembly. Addressing a gathering of journalists close to the CPN (Maoist Center) on Monday, PM Dahal said that he had learned about the Ncell share sale while in Dubai and formed a committee to investigate it upon returning home.
The government formed after the Constituent Assembly election did not last long. It was the time when the connection between Dahal and businessman Ajeya Raj Sumargi was at its peak as Prime Minister Dahal was provided a residence at Sumargi's elder sister-in-law, Shishu Aryal’s building in Lazimpat. Before moving into Aryal's house, Dahal had connections with Ncell's current investors. After Dahal became the Prime Minister following the first Constituent Assembly election, the license for 'Hello Nepal' was issued in the name of Sumargi who got the license to operate a mobile phone service in the name of Nepal Satellite Company at a relatively low cost. The said company was not only provided at low cost but the company also received more frequency than required. ‘TeliaSonera’ acquired 75 percent of its shares.
When Dahal was the Prime Minister and Krishna Bahadur Mahara was the Minister for Communications, when Sumargi received the license for ‘Hello Nepal’, he provided Dahal with a comfortable residence in Lazimpat. Less than five years into the peace process, Dahal was widely criticized after taking up permanent residence in a state-of-the-art palace purchased for more than Rs 100 million. The palace was bought for Dahal for Rs 120 million. The house of a Burmese Marwadi businessman named Nawal Singhania Agrawal was renamed in the name of Shishu Aryal on July 29, 2011. According to the minimum valuation by the customs office, the house and the land it covered was valued at Rs 52 million.
PM Dahal expresses concerns on the controversial deal of Axiata...
After the media started questioning the Dahal-Sumargi nexus, the personal secretary of Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Samir Dahal issued a statement on February 4, 2012 and mentioned that the house was rented. "We want to make it clear that the current residence, which is taken at a monthly rent of Rs 130,000 with all taxes, is relatively safe and has parking facilities, but we are smelling a serious conspiracy akin to the Goebbels-style propaganda," read the statement issued by Dahal’s personal secretariat at that time.
Shortly after India imposed a blockade against Nepal, KP Oli Sharma became the Prime Minister. Nine months later, Dahal overthrew the UML government and became the Prime Minister in collaboration with Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba. Before that, Krishna Bahadur Mahara, who granted the license and frequency of Hello Nepal to Sumargi, was appointed as the Minister of Finance. The then Axiata (now Ncell) bought shares from ‘TeliaSonera’ in Chaitra (mid-March to mid-April) 2072 BS. At that time, when the issue of tax evasion increased, the issue was hushed up with the help of Mahara. At that time, the political leadership also put pressure on the government not to raise the issue of tax evasion by Ncell. Experts claim that they have personally met the officials of the Office of the Auditor General.
After buying and selling shares, when the issue of capital gains tax (CGT) to be paid by Ncell in 2073 BS was raised, Dahal tried to exempt Ncell from paying CGT of Rs 66 billion. At that time, the Under Secretary in the Large Taxpayers Office (LTO), Dirgha Raj Mainali, said that Capital Gains Tax should be paid on the purchase and sale of ‘Ncell’, and then Dahal appointed Tanka Mani Sharma as the Auditor General and asked him to prepare a report on the necessity of paying Capital Gains Tax. Now, Sharma is the coordinator of the study committee on ‘Ncell’ purchase and sale case.
In 2010, after ‘TeliaSonera’ increased its stake in Spice Nepal, the latter came under the complete control of Ncell. At that time Niraj Govind Shrestha was the local partner with 20 percent stake. Dahal maintained a close relationship with him. In 2010, the 'Mero Mobile' brand was changed to ‘Ncell’ after Spice Nepal took control. It was then confirmed that the person associated with Ncell was closely related to Shrestha, when Dahal celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary at Shrestha’s house. The wedding anniversary was celebrated on May 9, 2019.
Sources claim that Dahal and leaders close to him, who celebrated their wedding anniversary at Shrestha's house in Sunakothi, are helping Ncell. Upendra Mahato, the former president of NRNA and a businessman, sold his shares to Niraj Govinda on March 29, 2012 and exited. Despite defrauding about Rs 3 billion in revenue when Mahato sold 20 percent shares to business partner Shrestha, both Mahato and Shrestha were pardoned due to their close relationship with Dahal. Birendra Mahato, Upendra Mahato's brother, is currently in Dahal's Cabinet.
Shrestha sold his 20 percent stake to Bhavana Singh Shrestha when he exited ‘Ncell’. It is said that Shrestha has evaded about Rs 11 billion in this sale case as well, and the LTO has already determined the tax. Bhavana's husband Satish Lal Acharya has bought all the shares of Ncell while the issue of the said tax is still in dispute. ‘Sunivera Capital Ventures’, sole proprietorship of Bhavana, was opened in Nepal three months before the sale of ‘Ncell’ while acquiring 20 percent shares from Niraj Govinda Shrestha. Even though her husband Acharya bought ‘Ncell’ shares for Rs 6 billion, it was traded for Rs 66 billion.
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