Nepal’s powerful parliamentary committee accused the long-time chief of the national football association of embezzling millions and ordered government agencies to investigate, file a case in court, and suspend him.
Ramhari Khatiwada of parliament’s public accounts committee said on Tuesday they have ordered the government to immediately begin the investigation and suspend Ganesh Thapa as president of the All Nepal Football Association.
Thapa has been accused by the committee of embezzling 582 million rupees (about US$6 million or Dh22m) during his 19-year tenure in the office.
“There are no proper records or audit reports of where much of the funds received from Fifa or AFC for development of football in Nepal have gone. We believe that all these funds have been misused by Ganesh Thapa and people in the association close to him,” Khatiwada said.
The committee has ordered the government’s sports ministry to suspend Thapa, and the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority to investigate him, Khatiwada said.
The parliament committee cannot file a case in court but the anti-graft commission can.
It is unlikely that the suspension order would come soon, as offices in Nepal are closed until next week for the long Hindu festival.
Thapa is a powerful figure in Nepal’s sports scene. He was a popular football player who became the head of the association in 1994. He is a vice president of the Asian Football Confederation, and a member of the Fifa Under-20 World Cup committee.
He was recently nominated as a member of the parliament by his brother Kamal Thapa, who heads the Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal. The party is the fourth largest in Nepal, and able to appoint members in the parliament.
This is not the first time that Thapa has been drawn into controversy.
It was revealed in 2012 that Thapa’s son took $100,000 from Mohammed bin Hammam, the Qatari who, while heading the AFC, was alleged to have enriched himself and handed out hundreds of thousands of dollars to friends and relatives.
Thapa accepted his son took the money, but said it was a personal loan from bin Hammam.
Nepal’s sport authorities did not take any action against Thapa.
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A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
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Lt Gen Erik Petersen, deputy chief of programs, US Army, has argued it took a “three decade holiday” on modernising tanks.
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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now
Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.
The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.
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