A team from corruption watchdog on Wednesday detained a joint attorney for accepting Rs 500,000 bribe in Pokhara.

The team from Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) arrested Joint Attorney Surendra Bahadur Thapa for receiving a bribe.

The anti-graft team arrested Thapa with the money from his quarters at around 8:45 am. Thapa demanded money from an individual for not filing an appeal against the latter’s son at the Supreme Court.

Kaski District Court had sentenced the individual's son, a recruiting company agent, to two years in prison and fined him Rs 620,000 after convicting him in a swindling case. He was charged 15 years ago.

Pokhara High Court recently upheld the district court’s decision but ruled to impose a fine instead of the jail term.

A CIAA source said Thapa demanded money and, if the individual did not comply, he would file an appeal against his son in the Supreme Court demanding prison term.

Information officer Ramesh Dhakal at the CIAA regional office in Pokhara said the individual informed the anti-graft team after Thapa bargained for the bribery amount. Thapa threw the bribe money out of his room after he came to know a CIAA team raided his house.