Nepal’s new anti-corruption agency has charged former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba with distributing state money to party workers while in office, the state-run news agency said today.

THOUSANDS of protesters marched through Nepal’s capital on yesterday to demand the restoration of democracy in one of the biggest shows of opposition strength since King Gyanendra seized absolute power three months ago.

Police in Nepal stormed the house of former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and took him into custody today after he failed to appear before an anti-corruption commission, in a crackdown by the royalist government that critics say is politically motivated.