Kathmandu, September 7
Colonel of the Nepal Army, Kumar Lama, has got clean chit from the Central Criminal Court, London, in a long-running case related to torture.
The court verdict came after two trials, which cost the Nepali state more than Rs 140 million in lawyer’s fees alone.
On Tuesday, the court announced that no court of law in the United Kingdom will initiate legal proceedings against Colonel Lama in this case.
Law enforcement had arrested Colonel Lama for a war crimes probe in 2013, based on a complaint that accused him of subjecting Janak Raut to torture in custody after the latter’s arrest in Kapilvastu district during the Maoist insurgency. The arrest came when Lama, part of a UN peacekeeping mission, was in England to meet family members. Lama had denied the charges.
Issuing a clean chit to Colonel Lama, the verdict states Lama is free now and no court of law in the UK will initiate legal proceedings against him in this case.
The court ruled that it could not establish charges against Lama. Issuing a verdict, Justice Sweeney said Lama is free now and no court of law in the United Kingdom will initiate legal proceedings against him in this case.
