Kathmandu, June 14: A high powered special court in Nepal has convicted the former chief of the national airline and a US businessman on corruption charges, court sources said today. "The special court yesterday gave its verdict against Hongkong Ranamagar, former chief executive officer of the Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation (RNAC), and Cecil Winters, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the US based Chase Air Inc. private company, on corruption charges," the sources said.
The court in Kathmandu sentenced Ranamagar to three years in prison, while Winters, who is in the United States, was sentenced in absentia to two years.
They were also ordered to pay around 500,000 dollars to RNAC as compensation.
Ranamagar said he would appeal against the verdict.
The two were convicted for their involvement in the lease of an airbus aircraft to RNAC.
The court said the leasing deal, which was signed by Ranamagar and Winters in 1999, was a case of forgery which caused heavy financial loss to the national carrier.
Chase Air agreed to lease its aircraft to the RNAC which made a payment of 783,000 dollars.
"Chase Air, however, failed to deliver the aircraft on a stipulated date as mentioned in the agreement," the court source said. Bureau Report