Nepali anti-graft body grills 6 ex-ministers

The Royal Commission for Corruption Control questioned the six former ministers over the alleged use of government money to pay for personal and party celebrations during the Hindu festival of Daishan last October, a commission official said.

Four ministers -- Mohammad Mohsin, Badri Prasad Mandal, Purna Bahadur Khadka and Hom Nath Dahal -- were quizzed Monday and later released on payment of bail ranging from 300,000 rupees (4,225 dollars) to three million rupees (42,225 dollars).

On Tuesday, two more ex-ministers, Yuba Raj Gyawali and Jog Mehar Shrestha, appeared before the commission to explain the alleged embezzlement, said the official, who would not be named.

All the ministers were members of the four-party coalition government led by Sher Bahadur Deuba that was sacked by the king on February 1 when he seized power and declared emergency rule.

The commission alleges the ex-ministers had persuaded the cabinet to distribute 4.1 million rupees (57,746 dollars) from the Prime Minister's Relief Fund to party activists and relatives during the Dashain festivities, the official said.

The ministers have been warned to appear before the commission again on March 31 to respond to the allegations, the official said.

The corruption commission, which has wide-ranging powers equivalent to a court of law, was constituted by the king on February 16 to curb corruption in all sectors of society.

King Gyanendra dismissed the Deuba government for what he said was its failure to maintain peace, law and order and hold general elections in the Himalayan outpost.