Nepal: Former Parliament Speaker arrested in rape case

Nepal Police have arrested former Speaker of Nepal's Parliament Krishna Bahadur Mahara in connection with a rape case.

The court also had issued a warrant in name of Mahara on Monday.

Earlier this week, Mahara had stepped down from his post after facing rape allegations. Mahara on October 1 tendered his resignation to the House's Deputy Speaker Shivamaya Tumbahamphe.

"Since yesterday (Monday) various media outlets had raised questions over my character and I was being accused. In order to investigate the matter in a free, fair and unbiased manner and to facilitate the investigation, I am resigning from the post," Mahara said in a letter.

A female employee in the assembly had alleged that Mahara raped her in her rented flat in Tinkune, Kathmandu when her husband was not at home.

"My husband and I have known him (Mahara) personally for some time. He had come to my place several times before also when my husband used to be here. At around 8 pm on Sunday, he came to my flat in an inebriated condition when my husband was not at home and assaulted me," the victim said.

A formal complaint, however, has not been lodged with the police over the alleged incident. Though a team of police had reached the spot on Sunday evening, they are yet to start an investigation into the case.

Mahara was elected as Speaker of House of Representatives (Lower House) in March 2018. He also was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs in 2017 and Minister of Finance in 2016.

In 2009, when Mahara was the then Information and Communication Minister, a leaked audiotape recording surfaced where he has purportedly heard bargaining with a Chinese telecommunicator to issue a communication license.

( With inputs from ANI )