Maya Rai

{{Short description|Nepalese politician}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name =Maya Rai

| native_name = माया राई

| office = Member of Parliament, Pratinidhi Sabha for
Nepali Congress

| term_start = 2022

| term_end =

| president =

| primeminister =

| party = Nepali Congress

| nationality = Nepali

| otherparty = Nepali Congress

| native_name_lang =

| honorific_prefix = Honourable

| birth_date =

| father = Purna Bahadur

| mother = Kalpana

| spouse =

| children =

}}

Maya Rai is a Nepalese politician, belonging to the Nepali Congress Party. She is currently serving as a member of the 2nd Federal Parliament of Nepal. In the 2022 Nepalese general election she was elected as a proportional representative from the indigenous people category.{{Cite web| title = Election Commission Nepal| accessdate = 2022-12-20| url = https://election.gov.np/admin/public//storage/PR/PR%20Elected/%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%A7%E0%A4%BF%20%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%BE%20%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%95%20%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%9A%E0%A4%A8%20%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%A3%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B2%E0%A5%80%20%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AB%20%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%9A%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%A4%20%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%A6%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%B9%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%8B%20%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%A3.pdf}}{{Cite web| title = Nepali Congress recommends 32 names as proportional representational lawmakers| accessdate = 2022-12-20| url = https://kathmandupost.com/national/2022/12/10/nepali-congress-recommends-32-names-as-proportional-representational-lawmakers}}

Legal issues

In April 2025, Nepali Congress lawmaker Maya Rai was arrested in connection with a large-scale cooperative fraud case linked to the Swarnalakshmi Multipurpose Cooperative in Kalimati, Kathmandu. According to investigators, Rai was involved in the misappropriation of millions of rupees while serving as a board member and later as secretary of the cooperative between 2016 and 2019.{{cite news |title=Nepali Congress lawmaker Maya Rai arrested |url=https://kathmandupost.com/national/2025/04/26/nepali-congress-lawmaker-maya-rai-arrested |work=The Kathmandu Post |date=26 April 2025 |access-date=13 May 2025}}

She was taken into custody from her residence in Kapan, Kathmandu, after reportedly being out of contact with authorities for over eight months.{{cite news |title=Maya Rai, a Nepali Congress lawmaker, has been charged in connection with the Swarnalakshmi cooperative fraud case in Kalimati |url=https://nepalnews.com/s/society/maya-rai-a-nepali-congress-lawmaker-has-been-charged-in-connection-with-the-swarnalakshmi-cooperative-fraud-case-in-kalimati/ |work=NepalNews |date=26 April 2025 |access-date=13 May 2025}}

The allegations include embezzlement of over NPR 23 million through irregular transactions during her time at the cooperative.{{cite news |title=Maya Rai arrested |url=https://english.khojsamachar.com/maya-rai-arrested/ |work=Khoj Samachar |date=26 April 2025 |access-date=13 May 2025}} After her arrest, the Kathmandu District Court approved a five-day remand for investigation.{{cite news |title=Court grants five-day remand for MP Maya Rai |url=https://www.myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/court-grants-five-day-remand-for-mp-maya-rai-94-18.html |work=MyRepublica |date=28 April 2025 |access-date=13 May 2025}}

Later, the Office of the Government Attorney filed formal charges under laws related to cooperative fraud and organized crime. The prosecution also submitted a supplementary case based on complaints from 20 depositors, demanding over NPR 3.7 million in restitution.{{cite news |title=NC lawmaker Maya Rai implicated in massive cooperative scam |url=https://en.setopati.com/political/164597 |work=Setopati |date=30 April 2025 |access-date=13 May 2025}}

References