The Gurkha Army Ex-Servicemen's Organisation (GASEO) has misused millions of rupees collected from its members to fight for equal rights with the rest of the British Army.

According to report by UK-based newspaper Times, GAESO had collected around Rs 250 million from its 40,000 members since the inception of the rganisation but has paid around Rs 10.9 million to its lawyers through bank transfer during the campaign. However, the GAESO officials are quoted by the paper to have said they spent some Rs 65 million since 2002.

According to report, GAESO officials produced invoices worth Rs 54 million paid to Phil Shiner, of Public Interest Lawyers (PIL), a British solicitor who worked for them from 2001 to 2006 and who hired Cherie Blair as their barrister in 2002 and 2003. However, the receiving company said it only received Rs 15.4 million from GAESO.

The GAESO officials have alleged its former lawyer Gopal Siwakoti for the rest of the unaccounted money. "We had no knowledge of the British legal system," GAESO's chairman Padam Gurung said. "He was the middle man - he was the key. This is a smear campaign conducted by the Ministry of Defence and Siwakoti."

Siwakoti has split from the group in 2008 and is now working with GAESO-UK.

On the other hand, Siwakoti dismissed the accusation and claimed he still has not received Rs 27.2 million from the GAESO as his fees. nepalnews.com