It has come to light that the verdict in the corruption case against Nepal Rastra Bank governor Bijay Nath Bhattarai and executive director Surendra Man Pradhan was given before the hearing was completed. Last Tuesday, Judge Tahir Ali Ansari announced the verdict from a single sheet of white paper, shocking many.

Removing the paper from his coat pocket, Ansari copied out the verdict into the decision book. Even if Judge Ansari himself had written the note, a decision cannot be made before the hearing and legal debate is completed. The note, clearly written beforehand, shows the deep conspiracy against the governor.

Ever since the Commission for the Investigation of the Abuse of Authority started legal proceedings against Bhattarai, the World Bank has been keeping a keen interest in the matter. After the case went to court, the Bank declared that the paper produced as proof by the CIAA was counterfeit. It also made clear its belief that the decisions made in the previous proceedings too were wrong, expressing discontent with the points used by the court. Just as the CIAA used a counterfeit paper to start proceedings, the Supreme Court also gave its verdict based on a piece of paper with a decision made outside the courtroom. This action has already become a topic of international debate.

It was CIAA Chief Lalit Bahadur Limbu who registered the case against the governor and executive director on behalf of the CIAA, following phone conversations with the so-called finance mafia. Even though prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala urged the CIAA not to proceed with the case, Limbu went ahead anyway, disregarding his advice.

After the special court, under influence of the finance mafia, was unable to decide on a verdict, the case was referred to the Supreme Court, although corruption charges are under the special court's jurisdiction. Now it seems that the Supreme Court has also been influenced by the same quarter.