Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of the Nepal Police has taken statements from former Prime Ministers Madhav Kumar Nepal and Dr. Baburam Bhattarai as part of its investigation into the Lalita Niwas land grab scandal.
A senior official of the Ministry of Home Affairs told HimalPress that the investigative team from the CIB visited the residences of the two former Prime Ministers to take their statements on Sunday night. According to the official, Nepal’s statement was recorded at his residence in Koteshwar on Sunday night, and the CIB’s questioning continued until 2 am. Subsequently, the team arrived at Dr. Bhattarai’s residence in Tokha at 4 am on Monday to take his statement.
Although the ruling coalition has unanimously decided to exempt the two former Prime Ministers from the investigation, CIB teams conducted late-night questioning at the residences of the two former Prime Ministers. Ministry sources say CIB questioned the two former prime ministers under the direction of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs, Narayan Kaji Shrestha.
Bhattarai shared on his social media account around 10 am on Monday that he had answered to questions raised by the CIB team. “I have fulfilled my duty by providing the CIB team with information of all the decisions made by my cabinet regarding the Lalita Niwas scandal. May this case serve as a stepping stone in efforts to eradicate all forms of corruption and irregularities, and to ensure good governance,” Bhattarai wrote on his social media page.
