In Nepal's hydropower sector, Guru Prasad Neupane wears multiple hats. First, he is a pioneer in private-sector investment in hydropower. Second, he was the first to tap into the nascent capital market to raise equity for independent power projects. However, Neupane has also earned an unwanted record, becoming the first person to be convicted of insider trading in Nepal.
The Special Court recently delivered its verdict on an insider trading case filed by the Department of Money Laundering Investigation (DoMLI) against Neupane, who was the Chairperson of Ridi Power Company at the time. The division bench of Special Court Chairman Tek Narayan Kunwar and members Ram Bahadur Thapa and Murari Babu Shrestha found Neupane guilty of insider trading of shares. He was sentenced to one year of imprisonment and ordered to pay a fine of Rs 39.8 million. Although the court initially sentenced Neupane to two years of imprisonment, 50% of the sentence was waived due to his age of 73 years. Despite being the chairperson, Neupane was found to be involved in the purchase and sale of shares of Ridi Power from April 1 to August 8, 2021. As per the existing law, Neupane, as the company's chairperson, should not have been involved in share trading. The Securities Board of Nepal (Sebon) has barred Neupane from becoming a director of any company for 10 years.