By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS
Kathmandu : He was fabled to be as rich as Croesus, the ancient king whose wealth was legendary. But Nepal’s King Birendra, who was massacred along with his entire family in the tightly guarded royal palace here six years ago, apparently had only about 35,000 pounds.
At least that is what the government has been able to ferret out almost two years after toiling to gauge the extent of the slain king’s riches.
The most powerful parliamentary panel in Nepal, the State Organisation Committee, summoned home minister and government spokesman Krishna Prasad Sitaula Monday for an account of the state’s findings.
With the government making a new law and forming a trust, the wealth of the dead king would in future come under the control of the trust and be put to public use.
Besides the king, Queen Aishwarya and their two younger children, Prince Nirajan and Princess Shruti were also gunned down during the massacre in the palace that is blamed on crown prince Dipendra.
The heir to Nepal’s throne is reported to have turned the gun on himself after wiping out his entire family and other royal relatives.
The property belonging to the murdered queen and the two children also is to pass in the hands of the trust.
However, so far, the government has been able to trace only 37,427 pounds in what was left in a joint account in the name of the queen and the two younger children in the Standard Chartered Bank.
According to investigations, till 2001, there were 137,427 pounds in the account. But that year, after Birendra was succeeded by his younger brother Gyanendra, the treasury department transferred the money into the royal palace’s account.
In 2003, when King Gyanendra begun to manipulate the government, an amount of 100,000 pounds was transferred to a British company.
The home minister, however, did not disclose the name of the company.
Besides the meagre bank account, the government could find about 825 ropanis in the king’s name in Kathmandu.
A ropani is a Nepali land unit equalling approximately 508.72 sq m.
The dead king also has a little plot in his name in Chitwan in southern Nepal, the government found.
There is no trace of the fabulous jewellery, luxury cars and shares in top companies reported to have been under the control of the palace.
Reports in Nepal’s media had said that the queen held billions in a Swiss bank.
Coming under fire from the legislators, Sitaula said the foreign ministry was taking appropriate measures to tap the slain royals’ hidden wealth abroad.
The parliamentary panel, which includes members from the prime minister’s own party, scoffed at the findings and accused the government of not doing its job.
Sitaula was told that the panel would not discuss the bill that provides for the trust and its work until the government comes up with a more credible account.
After King Gyanendra consolidated his power, there were reports that he transferred money, shares and other property into the name of his daughter, Princess Prerana and trusted aides.