ANFA President Pankaj Bikram Nemwang and General Secretary Kiran Rai were released on bail of Rs 500,000 each by Lalitpur District Court on Wednesday in a case involving allegations of match-fixing and fraud. The order was issued by a bench led by Judge Hari Singh Dhami after the court recorded their statements. After their release, a majority meeting of the All Nepal Football Association’s executive committee, led by Senior Vice President Bir Bahadur Khadka, decided to seek clarification from four people, including Nemwang and Rai, and formed a committee to coordinate with the government and FIFA.
Court orders release on bail
The court ordered both officials released on bail after hearing their statements. Each was required to post Rs 500,000. The case concerns alleged match-fixing and fraud, and the two had been named as defendants on the recommendation of the Central Investigation Bureau. They had been absconding before appearing before the court on Wednesday, according to the case details reported by Ratopati.
The bail decision allows the proceedings to move forward with both officials released under the court’s order. It does not, by itself, determine the outcome of the allegations. The court recorded their statements before making its decision, but the information available about the hearing does not give further details about the evidence or the next stage of the case.
The case has also been described as involving financial irregularities and fraud. Its connection to match-fixing has placed senior figures in Nepal’s football association at the centre of a legal process. Nemwang is the association’s president and Rai its general secretary, the two positions that brought the court appearance and the subsequent internal response into focus.
ANFA executive committee seeks clarification
Following the release, a majority of ANFA’s executive committee met under the leadership of Senior Vice President Bir Bahadur Khadka. The meeting decided to seek clarification from four people. Nemwang and Rai are among those asked to respond; the available account does not identify the other two people or provide details of what each is being asked to clarify.
The committee’s decision is a separate association-level step from the court’s bail order. The court addressed the officials’ appearance in the case, while ANFA’s executive committee decided to seek explanations internally. The meeting also formed a committee to coordinate with the government and FIFA, as reported by Nagarik News.
Legal and governance processes continue on separate tracks
The developments therefore involve two distinct processes: the court proceedings in the match-fixing and fraud case, and ANFA’s response through its executive committee. The court’s decision was limited to releasing Nemwang and Rai on bail after recording their statements. The association, meanwhile, has set in motion a clarification process involving four people and established a committee for coordination with the government and FIFA.
No further details were provided about the committee’s membership, its timetable or the specific work it will undertake. Nor was information given about the responses to be submitted by the four people. The steps announced after the court hearing mark the immediate actions taken by the association, while the allegations themselves remain subject to the legal process. The available reports do not state when the court will next hear the case or what further decisions ANFA may take after receiving the requested clarifications.
