KATHMANDU, July 26: Sacked Nepali prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba was jailed for two years on corruption charges on Tuesday by a powerful anti-corruption body. Deuba and his government were sacked on February 1 when Nepal’s King Gyanendra seized power and declared a state of emergency, a move that drew condemnation from abroad.

Deuba and a former minister in his government, Prakash Man Singh, were found guilty of embezzling $5.3 million in awarding a contract to supply drinking water to the capital, Kathmandu.

“Deuba should be jailed for two years and pay a fine equivalent to 90 million rupees ($1.3 million),” said the chairman of the Royal Commission for Corruption Control (RCCC), Bhakta Bahadur Koirala, giving Singh the same sentence.

The commission said Deuba had overruled the relevant authorities to award a contract to a member of his own party. —Reuters