Four months after a graft case was filed, two accused officials of Tax Settlement Commission (TSC) appeared before the Special Court (SC).

Then Chairman of TSC LD Mahat and member Umesh Dhakal presented themselves at the court on Wednesday, Court’s spokesperson Nagendra Keshari Pokharel said.

TSC’s member Secretary Chudamani Sharma, however, has not appeared before the court yet.

Sharma, who was arrested in the case, was later released after the Supreme Court issued a habeas corpus writ on August 11 as demanded by Sharma’s wife Kalpana while Mahat and Dhakal were absconding.

Earlier, the SC had pasted a customary notice in the houses of all them. The Court has kept Mahat and Dhakal duo in the judicial custody for investigation.

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) in June had filed a corruption case against the trio including suspended Inland Revenue Department (IRD) Managing Director (MD) Sharma.

The anti-graft constitution body had decided to seek a fine of Rs 10.96 billion from three officials of the TSC on charge of misappropriating billions of rupees by settling taxes in a dubious way.

Of the total 1,069 files, the CIAA has completed investigation into 45 files in the first phase.

The TSC, formed in February 2015 by former Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat, had run into controversy after a report of the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) in April called into question the Rs 21 billion tax exemption granted to various enterprises. 

Meanwhile, the SC has sought a bail amount of Rs 5 million from suspended lawmaker and former state minister Sanjay Kumar Sah.

Earlier, the CIAA had filed a graft case against Sah for earning money in an illegal way.

The anti-graft constitutional body on Monday had filed a case against Sah at the SC seeking a fine of more than Rs 315 million.

So far, this is the biggest case in related to the fine slapped for earning money in an illegal way.

The anti-corruption constitutional body has claimed that the controversial lawmaker earned the property worth that amount during his two terms as a lawmaker and a term as the Minister of State for Physical Infrastructure and Transport, over past few years.

Sah’s father Babu Sadhu Sah Sudi, mother Dulari Devi Sudi, brother Ram Kumar Sah and his company’s staff Ram Milan Raut Kurmi and wife of Manoj Kumar Singh Nilam Singh have been made defendants in the case as they helped the accused hide properties.

The suspended lawmaker is currently in the judicial custody for his alleged involvement in two serious criminal cases.

He is accused of his alleged involvement in media entrepreneur Arun Kumar Singhaniya’s murder in 2010 and a bomb explosion case at Ramananda Chok of Janakpur in 2012.

Earlier, he had faced a 21-month jail term for an arms and ammunition case. He was also convicted in a public offence case.