Nepal's powerful anti-graft commission Thursday charged former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba with misappropriation of government funds while in office, a commission spokesman said. "The commission has found out that Deuba had misappropriated the Prime Minister's Relief Fund while in office," spokesman Prem Raj Karki said. "He also refused to testify and pay bail money of 8,000,000 rupees (114,285 dollars)," Karki said. Karki, however, did not say what action would be taken against Deuba after being charged with misappropriation of state funds.
Deuba, who was arrested last Wednesday, and his coalition government were dismissed by King Gyanendra when he seized power February 1.
Gyanendra, whose take-over drew international condemnation, said he needed to tackle an increasingly bloody Maoist insurgency.
The former premier refused to testify before the commission, accusing it of waging a vendetta against politicians opposing Gyanendra's take-over.
He is the most senior politician to be detained by the body, which has sweeping powers of arrest and punishment. Gyanendra said he set up the commission to fight corruption which is rife in the impoverished nation.
Police arrested Deuba after he rejected a commission summons. Earlier, he spent weeks under house arrest following his dismissal.
The commission charged that Deuba's cabinet ministers had persuaded the then cabinet to distribute 4.1 million rupees from the Prime Minister's Relief Fund to party activists and relatives during the Dashain festival last October.
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