Japan police to re-open probe into murder once tied to Mainali

Japanese police is preparing to launch fresh investigations into a 1997 murder case for which a Nepali national was jailed or 15 years, the Japan Times reported.

Govinda Mainali (46), who was convicted of the murder and kept in prison before being freed and deported in June, is likely to be found not guilty, in absentia, in the retrial slated to start on Monday.

The slain woman was an employee of Tokyo Electric Power Co. She is believed to have been engaged in prostitution.

"The key piece of evidence was a used condom found in the apartment's toilet containing semen that, according to tests at the time, matched Mainali's DNA. A urologist later testified the semen specimen greatly predated the woman's murder," said the report.

In an article for the times ahead of the retrial, Mainali's brother Indra Prasad said his family was expecting the hearing to end on Monday and a final verdict to be announced by the high court a few days later. He also argued Mainali should be financially compensated for the years he spent in prison. nepalnews.com