White Collar Crime
White collar crime is, at its core, business crime: financial wrongdoing committed through deceit, breach of trust or abuse of position rather than force. Our team understands both sides of these cases, the criminal law that applies and the way business actually operates, which is what makes them so different from ordinary criminal matters.
Much of this work means dealing directly with the agencies that investigate and prosecute the business community, including the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), Nepal Police and the courts that hear these cases. We know how these investigations unfold in practice, not only how the statutes read.
The Legal Framework
White collar offences are prosecuted under a mix of laws. The National Penal Code, 2074 (2017) covers fraud, forgery and general financial misconduct. The Prevention of Corruption Act, 2059 (2002) deals with bribery and abuse of public office. Where money laundering is alleged, the Asset (Money) Laundering Prevention Act applies alongside banking and financial regulation. Cases involving public officials are typically investigated by the CIAA and heard before the Special Court, while other financial crimes may proceed through the District Courts or Nepal Police’s investigative channels.
What makes these cases hard is rarely the law itself. It is the evidence. White collar matters turn on financial records, corporate transactions and paper trails that take real work to untangle, and intent must be proven, not assumed.
What We Handle
We represent clients in matters involving bribery, corruption, conflicts of interest, financial statement fraud, sanctions from multilateral development banks and other irregularities that can carry consequences across contract, criminal, tax and public law at once. These cases rarely stay in one lane, and we treat them accordingly.
Before a matter reaches a courtroom, we often begin with an internal audit, reviewing records and processes to understand where the exposure actually lies and advising on how to reduce it. If the matter proceeds, we represent clients before the courts and quasi-judicial authorities such as the CIAA.
Our Approach
Clients facing white collar allegations usually face civil and criminal exposure at the same time, and the two do not always call for the same strategy, so we work through both together. Our aim is solid, well-prepared representation that is proportionate to what is at stake and does not run up costs unnecessarily.
