Nepal ex-minister held in graft case

<div class="section0"><div class="Normal"><span style="" background-color:="" white="" font-size:="">KATHMANDU: Nepal''s royal regime on Thursday arrested a former minister on charges of corruption that is being seen in Nepal as a politically-motivated witch-hunt to silence critics of the royal government.</span><br /><br /><span style="" background-color:="" white="" font-size:="">Prakash Man Singh, a former minister in the Sher Bahadur Deuba government which had been dismissed by King Gyanendra on February 1, was arrested on Thursday morning from his house in Kathmandu, a day after he failed to appear at the King-appointed Royal Commission on Corruption Control to answer charges of corruption.The commission has accused Singh of improprieties in a drinking water project funded by ADB.</span><br /><br /><span style="" background-color:="" white="" font-size:="">Singh has denied the charges, but has refused to appear at the RCCC premises for questioning. Former prime minister Deuba, who too has been summoned by the RCCC in the same case, has also refused to appear for questioning, making it likely that he too would be arrested soon. </span><br /></div> </div>